This is one reason why they have the Secret Service:
A man yelling “I’m a victim of terrorism” jumped a White House fence and ran across the North Lawn on Wednesday before being caught by Secret Service officers.
The man scaled a fence along Pennsylvania Avenue and ran about halfway across the North Lawn before he was surrounded by uniformed Secret Service officers and led away in handcuffs.
“He is in custody,” said Charles Bopp, a spokesman for the Secret Service. “He was unarmed at the time. We are conducting an investigation.”
A photographer for The Associated Press, who witnessed the incident shortly after 5 p.m. EST, said the man was shouting, “I’m a victim of terrorism and I need the president’s help.”
Not too much detail there. If I was interviewing him, I’d like to find out what he meant. Was he saying he was a victim of terrorists? Or might he be a victim of the government’s response to the terrorists? The fence jumper might have been a suppliant bringing a legitimate grievance about the PATRIOT Act to the president. Probably best to call and make an appointment, though.