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Secret Service Director James Murray is stepping down as head of the historic protection service, according to a statement issued by the agency on Thursday.
Murray, who has been in the job since 2019, has been looking to retire “for some time” and plans to work in the private sector, according to a senior National Security Department official with knowledge of his decision.
He has accepted a top-security job with California-based social networking company Snapchat, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to share internal details. Murray, a 27-year veteran of the Secret Service, held several senior positions at the agency before being named director in May 2019. His last day will be July 30, according to the statement.
DHS Secretary Alexander Mayorkas said that under Murray’s leadership, the Secret Service has “strengthened its stature as the world’s foremost protection agency and increased its sophistication and scope of its investigative capabilities.”
“I have benefited enormously from the opportunity to trust Director Murray as a trusted adviser and highly prestigious leader in the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas said in a statement.
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A Secret Service statement said Murray “helped the agency navigate the unique challenges posed by the historic COVID-19 pandemic,” while continuing to pursue “its integrated mission of providing protection to senior elected leaders and investigating crimes.” aimed at our financial infrastructure “.
The Secret Service, best known for protecting current and former presidents and their families, has suffered multiple controversies over the past decade, such as a prostitution scandal, fake White House security steps during the Obama administration, and allegations of politicization under President Donald Trump.
In recent weeks, his agents have become central figures in the House Legislative Committee’s January 6 investigation into the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified last month that Trump attacked his protective detail on Jan. 6, 2021, when he was told he would not be allowed to join his supporters’ march toward the Capitol, at a given moment to get behind the wheel of the presidential vehicle.
This is a developing story.