Rep. Elijah Cummings said Sunday that a majority of black Americans, excluding himself, fear the Secret Service is failing to adequately protect President Obama due to racism.

“Face the Nation” host Bob Schieffer suggested that many members of the black community are worried the Secret Service would better protect a white president.

“Eighty-five percent of all African-Americans that come to me mention what you just said, and I don’t agree with it,” said Mr. Cummings, Mediaite reported.

The Maryland Democrat argued that the problem with the Secret Service predates Mr. Obama’s presidency.

“We have information that this goes all the way back to the Bush administration, a lot of the problems that we’re talking about now. It’s just that they’re coming to light,” he said.

Secret Service Director Julia Pierson resigned last week amid a series of severe security breaches, including confirmed reports that President Obama shared an elevator with an armed security contractor who was also a convicted felon. Separately, a knife-wielding intruder jumped a White House fence on Sept. 19 and made it all the way into the East Room reception area of the president’s iconic residence.



U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a black Democrat from Missouri, echoed Mr. Cummings‘ claims that many blacks fear racism is to blame.

“It is something that is widespread in black circles,” he said in an interview with the New York Times. “I’ve been hearing this for some time: ‘Well, the Secret Service, they’re trying to expose the president.’ You hear a lot of that from African-Americans in particular.”

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