Secret Service director out less than 24 hours after DHS secretary resigns
Secret Service Director Randolph Alles is leaving his position at the direction of President Donald Trump,according to two administration officials familiar with the decision.
"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 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."
It was unclear what prompted his firing, but the news comes less than 24 hours after Trump forced out Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The Secret Service director reports direct to the Homeland Security secretary.
A law enforcement official tells ABC News Alles was told a couple of weeks ago that he would be let go as part of a broader house cleaning at Homeland Security. The source also said the decision had nothing to do with last weekend’s alleged intrusion at Mar-a-Lago, which occurred a full week after Alles had been told a change was imminent.
Two other top officials, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Francis Cissna and Office of the General Counsel’s John Mitnick are also expected to depart soon, according to one official -- raising the prospect of a much broader cleaning of house among the Homeland Security leadership ranks."
"By the end of the week, more than half of the department’s agency heads could be gone with the positions vacant or with acting [personnel]," one senior administration official told ABC News.
Alles will remain on the job until May, when Murray will take over operations, according to a statement from the Secret Service.
In a message to the Secret Service workforce on Monday, Alles said reports that he was fired were incorrect and he was told "weeks ago" that transitions in leadership should be effected.
“No doubt you have seen media reports regarding my 'firing.' I assure you that this is not the case, and in fact was told weeks ago by the Administration that transitions in leadership should be expected across the Department of Homeland Security," Alles said in a statement.
"It has been my great honor to serve as Director of the U.S. Secret Service. I want to personally thank you all for a job well done. Your pride, strength and resilience is what has, and will continue to, allow this agency to accomplish great things. Your dedication and sacrifice continue to make the U.S. Secret Service an elite law enforcement agency; one that will remain so well into the future," the statement read.
ABC News' Jack Date contributed to this story.
