AllGov - Officials allgov.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from allgov.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Obama phoned Pierson on Wednesday to thank her for her service, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
While Obama and his aides have expressed support for Pierson in recent days, Earnest said the president agreed to the change, and “concluded new leadership of that agency was required,”
Pierson “took responsibility for the shortcomings of the agency that she led, and she took responsibility for fixing them,” Earnest said. “That, quite simply, I think, is a testament to her professionalism and to her character.”
The moves came less than two weeks after a man scaled the White House fence and made his way into the executive mansion before being caught. In addition, it took days for the Secret Service to disclose that the man, who had a knife, made it as far as the East Room of the executive mansion before he was subdued.