Secret Service Chief James Murray Retires For Security Job at Snapchat

(Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Secret Service Director James Murray announced that he is stepping down from his post as the head of the agency, according to a statement issued by the Secret Service on Thursday.

Murray has accepted a top security job with Snapchat, a California-based social media company, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official. Murray has been the head of the Secret Service since 2019 and has been planning his departure from the agency for a while.

According to the statement, Murray has served in the Secret Service for 27 years and has “contributed significantly to the agency’s continued professionalization and growth,” while navigating “the unique challenges presented by the historic COVID-19 pandemic.”

The statement also noted that the official transition from office will take place on July 30th.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas praised Murray following his announcement to retire in a statement, saying that Murray’s term as the head of the Secret Service has “reinforced its stature as the preeminent protective agency in the world and has increased in sophistication and scope its investigative capabilities.”

Although sources claim that Murray’s decision to retire had been planned for some time, his announcement comes at a time that the Secret Service has been under scrutiny during the heated January 6th House Select Committee investigation.

Former White House Aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified last month that former President Donald Trump lashed out at Secret Service members on January 6th, when his security detail refused to take him to the Capitol. Hutchinson testified that Trump lunged for the steering wheel of the vehicle attempting to reroute to join in with the Capitol rioters.