Factual error: The White House has security zones inside the building. The terrorists would have had to penetrate many of these, with a security force coming at them from the outside.
Factual error: In the case of an evacuation, the President and VP are separated to different secure areas to avoid precisely the situation that occurs here.
Character mistake: The interceptors give the bandit way too much leeway. One would have locked on, the other would have attempted contact, and then within moments of no response, the trailing plane would have shot him down.
Factual error: When the FBI tactical team arrives, they stay on the perimeter. They had not been told to stand down, and would have assaulted the White House and trapped the terrorists in a pincer movement with the SS attacking from the other side.
Factual error: The security booth is a hardened building and would not disintegrate like that from a RPG. It is made to withstand attacks.
Visible crew/equipment: When Banning is collecting guns just after the power goes out, he kills one terrorist in an orange top. When crouches down to pick the gun up, the whole place is in darkness. As he stands up a round white light is reflected in a picture on the wall behind him. (00:41:05)
Continuity mistake: When the Speaker is asking if anyone has contact with anyone in the white house (besides Banning) his hands are crossed left over right then right over left depending on the shot. (00:47:05)
Continuity mistake: When the president is talking to his son about eating ice cream, the tie around the son's neck keeps changing positions. (00:16:30)
Continuity mistake: When the secretary of state is punched to the floor before giving up her Cerberus code, she falls and lands a good distance from 2 blood pools on the floor. When the camera changes to a close up, she is right over said pools of blood. (01:10:50)
Character mistake: When we see the first news footage of the White House, the headline is captioned "Terrorist Attack The White House." It should read "Terrorist Attack On The White House" or "Terrorists Attack The White House". (00:36:40)
Factual error: In the operations room from which the acting president (Morgan Freeman) is directing the crisis there are multiple uniformed military members at the table and seated on chairs behind the acting president. Over Morgan Freeman's left shoulder is seated a man wearing the uniform of an Air Force Senior Enlisted member (can't quite make out of the entire rank, probably a Chief Master Sergeant). The person portraying the Chief is way too old for the rank. On the other hand, a three-star Air Force General is depicted at the conference table and the actor is way too young to have three stars.
Factual error: When Banning is first identified as the agent in the White House, Secret Service Director Lynn Jacob's says he's "ex-Special Forces, Ranger Batallion." Anyone who has ever been in the US Army knows that the Ranger Batallions are not Special Forces units. First, there isn't "a" ranger battalion, there are three, and they are part of the 75th Ranger Regiment, designated by a tan beret (formerly a black beret) which is part of the US Army's Infantry branch, represented by crossed rifles. On the other hand, Special Forces is an entirely different branch unto itself, which is represented by crossed arrows, and Special Forces soldiers wear green berets. (00:48:32)
Answer: Forbes slipped up by mentioning the head bad guy's name. And, as good an agent as Forbes was, it is highly doubtful, not to mention suspicious, that he'd still be roaming around by himself this long after the fall of the White House. Plus Mike ain't stupid and most likely smelled a rat. And he was correct. Forbes was dirty.
Alan Keddie