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New Secret Service director expected to be named

Posted at 6:12 PM, Apr 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-24 21:12:08-04

Randolph "Tex" Alles is expected to be named the next director of the Secret Service on Tuesday, law enforcement and administration sources tell CNN.

Alles, a retired Marine two-star general, currently serves as acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection. He joined CBP in 2012, after retiring from the Marine Corps after 35 years of military service.

Secret Service Deputy Director William Callahan has led the service since March 4 when the previous director, Joseph Clancy, retired.

The Secret Service director is appointed by the President and does not require Senate confirmation.

In recent weeks and months, the Secret Service has engendered a number of controversies and faced a series of security challenges.

One of the most significant breaches under President Donald Trump occurred on March 10, when the Secret Service said a man breached the perimeter of the White House grounds after jumping several fences and went undetected for more than 16 minutes before being caught just steps from a main door to the executive mansion. President Trump was in the White House at the time. Two uniformed Secret Service officers were fired over their handling of the incident, and others involved are facing possible disciplinary action.

Later in the same month, a laptop with highly sensitive information, including floor plans and evacuation protocol for Trump Tower, was stolen from a Secret Service agent's car in New York, according to law enforcement officials in New York. A Secret Service spokesperson said at the time that the laptop had strong security, including full disk encryption.

In early April a Secret Service agent on Vice President Mike Pence's detail was suspended from official duties after meeting a prostitute at a Maryland hotel.