Report: Armed guard on elevator with Obama not a convicted felon

A private armed guard whose presence on an elevator with President Obama raised questions about the quality of his Secret Service protection was not a convicted felon as previously reported, according to the Washington Post. 

The incident took place in September at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where an armed security guard employed by a private contractor boarded an elevator with Obama and refused to stop taking images of the president with a camera. He had not undergone the background checks typical of anyone in close contact with the president.  

{mosads}The guard, who has not been publicly identified, was fired after Secret Service agents questioned his behavior and background. Initial reports noted that the man had prior arrests and labeled him a convicted felon. 

The latter detail turned out to be false, the Post reported late Friday, even as it became part of lawmakers’ criticism of the Secret Service in light of the event. 

“You have a convicted felon within arm’s reach of the president, and they never did a background check,” Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said at the time. “Words aren’t strong enough for the outrage I feel for the safety of the president and his family.” 

The elevator incident is one in a string of lapses by the Secret Service that led to the resignation of former director Julia Pierson on Oct. 1.