A 42-year-old man accused in the unprecedented breach of White House security last month pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday to unauthorized intrusion and weapons-related charges.

Omar Gonzalez, who federal authorities said has a history of mental illness, said nothing in the brief court session in which his plea was formally entered by defense attorney David Bos.

Gonzalez is accused of scaling a White House perimeter fence, overpowering a Secret Service agent at the mansion's front door and rushing to the threshold of the Green Room before he was tackled by officers.

The only dispute arising from Wednesday's hearing related to Gonzalez's competence.

U.S. Magistrate Deborah Robinson said she intended to order a screening to determine the suspect's fitness to stand trial.

"There is no basis to order this forensic screening," Bos told Robinson. "I believe the court is wrong on the facts, and I believe the court is wrong on the law."

Robinson said she would allow Bos time to formally challenge the order before such a screening is scheduled.

Although Bos said he believed Gonzalez to be competent, he said any evaluation of Gonzalez should be arranged by the defense.

Although no one was injured in the White House incident, the breach prompted harsh criticism of the Secret Service's presidential protection operation and raised questions about the leadership of Director Julia Pierson. Pierson resigned Wednesday in the wake of the scandal.

Top House Democrats said Wednesday they had lost faith in Pierson and suggested she should be replaced.

"I am convinced that she is not the person to lead that agency. My trust has been eroded," said Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, in an interview on NPR's Diane Rehm Show.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said she trusted Cummings' judgment. "If Cummings thinks she should go, I subscribe to his recommendation," she said.

Pelosi said the problems plaguing the Secret Service are bigger than any one person and an independent investigation is necessary to change the culture that led to security lapses. "There were problems before she went there," she said.

Cummings expressed frustration at what he said is a culture of intimidation that prevents agents from doing their job, citing a female agent who feared reporting what she knew about a recently revealed incident in 2011 when bullets struck the White House.

"She was basically afraid to present her evidence," he said. "She either feared there might be repercussions, or she just did not believe that she would be heard. That's not good."

When Cummings pressed Pierson on the issue at a hearing Tuesday, he said she did not assuage his concerns. "I didn't get the impression that she was really that upset about it," he said. "I never got a sense of urgency from Ms. Pierson."

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