Over the past several years, the Secret Service has been embroiled in numerous scandals and controversies that has thrown the organization tasked with protecting America’s leaders into chaos.
Well, we have just learned that the man former-President Barack Obama selected in 2014 to reform the Secret Service, Joseph P. Clancy, has formally announced his retirement.
Official press release announcing the retirement of @SecretService Director Joseph P. Clancy. https://t.co/KNq05176Nf pic.twitter.com/iW6Cic0UAl
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) February 14, 2017
Clancy plans to formally retire on March 4, which will allow President Trump to personally select someone to lead his security detail.
From The Washington Post:
Clancy, the former head of Obama’s protective detail, steered the Secret Service as it strained to shoulder a heavy workload with the lowest number of employees in a decade. At one point, the agency had 500 fewer people on staff than it was authorized to hire.
On Clancy’s watch, the Secret Service successfully tackled an intense and rancorous 2016 presidential election — that featured pushing and taunting by opposing sides — without any major incidents.
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A leading contender to replace Clancy is George Mulligan, the current chief operating officer, former Pentagon official and White House military office director who was brought on to bring the agency more focus on business management. Other names being discussed include former Clinton detail leader Larry Cockell; Mickey Nelson, a former assistant director; and the newly promoted deputy director, William Callahan.
Clancy took over the Secret Service after his predecessor, Julia Pierson, resigned following a myriad of embarrassing incidents that called into question her ability to lead the agency:
On Pierson’s watch, a string of embarrassing incidents unfolded in succession. Officers and agents were caught in drunken misbehavior while preparing for presidential visits in the Florida Keys and the Netherlands and even across the square from the White House at a hotel bar. The final straw came Sept. 19, 2014, when a limping, mentally ill veteran jumped the White House fence, bypassed more than a dozen Secret Service guards and hurtled deep inside the White House mansion.
In recent weeks, President Trump has had his own problems with the Secret Service, most notably the revelation that one agent, Kerry O’Grady, posted on Facebook her dislike for the president, admitting that she would refuse to take a bullet for him.
Any problems that may exist between the president and the Secret Service should be remedied now that President Trump will be able to personally select the individual he wants to lead his security team.
Do you think the current head of the Secret Service should resign? Who should President Trump name as his replacement? Share your thoughts below!