The Secret Service has gotten ready for an imminent appointment of a new director with a senior military rank. This is the first time a Secret Service agency chief would be appointed from outside of the agency in modern history, the Washington Examiner reported on Thursday.
Secret Service agents and officers are expecting retired Marine general and former head of U.S. Central Command John Kelly, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary to tap another general to lead the agency.
Two sources told the Washington Examiner that the outside hire would help reform the agency and impose more rigorous and even-handed discipline. Employees are anticipating the announcement of the new appointment to take place next week.
The new hire would come in the wake of several controversial moments that the Secret Service has faced since the 2016 presidential campaigns.
During President Donald Trump's campaign, an agent posed on Facebook that she would prefer "jail time" before taking "a bullet" for Trump. In March, another agent had her laptop stolen out of her car which contained floor plans for Trump Tower on it. Yet another incident occurred in March when two senior agents took selfies with Trump's eight-year-old grandson. And on March 10th, a White House fence jumper, 26-year-old Jonathan Tran, was detained after attempting to open the White House back door.
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) was speculative of an "outsider" being hired.
"We've got too much of that going on right now," McCaskill told the Washington Examiner, referencing the number of Trump's Cabinet picks from the private sector.