President Trump has selected Secret Service official James Murray to become director of the security agency, replacing outgoing Director Randolph “Tex” Alles.
“United States Secret Service director Randolph “Tex” Alles has done a great job at the agency over the last two years, and the President is thankful for his over 40 years of service to the country,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
“Mr. Alles will be leaving shortly and President Trump has selected James M. Murray, a career member of the USSS, to take over as director beginning in May,” she said.
A person familiar with the situation said Mr. Alles’s ousting is not related to a shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security — Mr. Alles reports to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned suddenly Sunday.
Nor is it related to a security breach at Mr. Trump’s club in Florida last month, in which a Chinese woman passed through security with passports, cellphones and a flash drive with malware on it, the person said.
Rather, Mr. Alles has been on his way out since a decisive meeting with acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney two weeks ago, or before the Chinese woman managed to get through Secret Service screening at Mar-a-Lago.
The Associated Press reported Mr. Alles was fired for a “personality conflict” within the agency.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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