U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray to retire

FILE: Secret Service Director James Murray speaks during the opening ceremony of the Maloney Canine Training Facility at the J. Rowley Training Center, in Laurel, Maryland on September 12, 2019.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secret Service Director James M. Murray will retire from his post at the end of the month, after a 32-year career in the federal government and three years at the helm of the agency. The 27-year veteran of the U.S. Secret Service has served as the agency’s chief executive since May 1, 2019, overseeing the agency through a record-breaking 42 protective details deployed during the Trump administration, a presidential campaign and the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to navigating a series of controversies.

Murray’s departure comes a tumultuous week after the denial of an alleged altercation between former President Donald Trump and his security detail ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol following explosive Congressional testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson. Earlier this year, four Secret Service officials were suspended after allegedly being duped by two men accused by U.S. prosecutors of posing as federal law enforcement.

But the Secret Service veteran’s exit has been in the works for months, according to a source familiar with his next steps.

“Since the Spring of 2019, Director Murray successfully guided the agency through eight National Special Security Events and nearly 20,000 international and domestic protective operations,” the agency said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. “During that time, the agency also recovered approximately $4.2 [billion] in fraud loss and prevented an estimated $8.1 [billion] in additional losses at the hands of criminal enterprise.”

The New Jersey native first began his career in the federal service in 1990 as an investigator with the U.S. Department of Transportation, while also serving as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve. Murray entered the Secret Service in 1995, joining the New York Field Office as a special agent investigating cyber-enabled financial crimes and liaison to the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Since joining the agency nearly three decades ago, Murray has rotated through the agency’s ranks in offices in Washington, D.C. and Atlantic City, New Jersey. He formerly served as assistant to the special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Division, the team charged with safeguarding the president and his motorcade. During his time at U.S. Secret Service, the agency has seen a transformation. No longer tasked with just safeguarding the president, first family and White House, the agency’s mission has grown to accommodate an ever-expanding list of threats, including cyberattacks and terrorist plots.

Murray’s last day in federal service will be July 30, 2022. He plans to join a global technology company in the coming weeks, according to the source.