Secret Service Apologizes for Kicking Child Cancer Fundraiser Out of Park

The Secret Service has offered an apology for the way it treated a candlelit vigil hosted by child cancer patients over the weekend.

About 700 people participating in CureFest for Childhood Cancer were reportedly caught in an emotional incident when the Service and U.S. Park Police forced them to clear out of the park across from the White House on Saturday night. Agency spokesman Brian Leary stated today that the clear-out was due to security protocols so that President Obama‘s motorcade could head out.

“The Secret Service would like to express its regret for not communicating more effectively with this group concerning the timeline for protectee movements in the vicinity of Lafayette Park.”

The Washington Post reported that, despite the group’s permit for their awareness fundraiser, a two-hour evacuation was ordered that left parents outraged and children crying. Many of the attending families ended up returning to their hotels out of exhaustion or for medical reasons by the time they could return.

Joseph Clancy, the head of the Secret Service, reportedly called the organizers with a personal apology, while another Service spokesperson has stated that they would review their policies on security closures.

[h/t TPM]
[Image via screengrab]

— —

>> Follow Ken Meyer (@KenMeyer91) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!