November 17, 2015: U.S. Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy testifies before a House Oversight Committee and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee joint hearing on "Examining Ongoing Challenges at the U.S. Secret Service" on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Reuters)
Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy is going back into retirement.
The longtime agency official, who came out of retirement in 2014 to take over amid a series of embarrassing scandals and security missteps, plans to step down effective March 4.
The agency announced the retirement on its Twitter account, saying: “The men & women of the @SecretService are grateful for your 29 years of service & leadership.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, whose committee probed various Secret Service controversies under the last administration, also praised Clancy for his service.
“He took on the difficult task of returning to and taking over an agency plagued with mismanagement, misconduct, and security lapses,” Chaffetz said in a statement.
The departure means that President Trump will now be able to pick the person he wants to lead the agency tasked with protecting him and his family among others.
Chaffetz urged Trump to “appoint a director from outside the agency,” saying: “A fresh set of eyes and new perspective is needed to restore the prestige and status expected of such an elite agency.”
Clancy took over on an interim basis in late 2014 and was appointed director by President Barack Obama in early 2015.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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