WASHINGTON — The director of the Secret Service announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the month after a 27-year career wi...
WASHINGTON — The director of the Secret Service announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the month after a 27-year career with the agency responsible for protecting the president of the United States.
The manager, James M. Murray, has accepted a position with social media company Snap, known for its messaging app, Snapchat, an agency spokesperson said.
Mr. Murray was named by President Donald J. Trump in 2019 after Mr. Trump became disillusioned with the director of the agency at the time, Randolph D.Alles. The Director of the Secret Service is appointed by the President and does not need to be confirmed by the Senate.
“Joining the Secret Service was the easiest decision I have ever made,” Murray wrote in a letter to agency employees on Thursday. “Deciding it’s time to move on, however, was one of the hardest.”
In April, Mr Murray told Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, whose sprawling department includes the Secret Service, that he planned to retire and take a job outside of government, said Mr. Murray in the letter.
In a joint statement, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden expressed their gratitude to Murray. “We are incredibly grateful for his service to our country and our family,” they said.
The Secret Service has been under the spotlight in recent days after more details emerged on Mr. Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol building in an attempt to halt the routine process of certifying the results of the presidential election.
Mr. Trump’s protective detail was with him throughout that day. Testimony last week before the House committee investigated the attack, a former White House aide said she was told Mr Trump had tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential vehicle and lunged at his top operative Secret Service after learning he couldn’t make it to the Capitol.
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