Secret Service Director on His Way Out the Door

Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy gave notice that he will be retiring effective March 4.

This will allow President Trump the opportunity to choose his own head of security and hopefully improve the agency’s morale and job satisfaction, which ranks the lowest of all agencies. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said Tuesday in a statement,

“A fresh set of eyes and new perspective is needed to restore the prestige and status expected of such an elite agency.”

Clancy was a retired Secret Service agent and former head of President Obama’s security detail before he was brought back to head the agency in 2015, following a rash of embarrassing scandals and the subsequent resignation of then-Director Julia  Pierson.

Clancy’s tenure has been a mixed bag of success and ongoing struggles.

Back in 2014, the Obama administration hoped Clancy, the president’s former detail leader, would instill some sense of calm in a divided and demoralized agency.

In that, he largely succeeded.

Both the Obama administration and congressional Republicans hoped Clancy could shore up the Secret Service by boosting morale and rapidly hiring enough agents and officers to keep up with a flood of departures and early retirements.

On that score, he struggled.

The agency has been chronically understaffed with more agents resigning or retiring than is able to be kept up with. In 2015 alone, 416 Secret Service members quit while only 78 new people were hired.

The Washington Post lists current chief operating officer, George Mulligan, as a leading possible replacement. Others on the short list are former Clinton detail leader Larry Cockell, former assistant director Mickey Nelson, and deputy director William Callahan.

The post Secret Service Director on His Way Out the Door appeared first on RedState.