Obama Taps Veteran Secret Service Agent Joseph Clancy to Lead Agency
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Drew Angerer/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama has tapped veteran Secret Service agent and acting interim director Joseph Clancy to lead the embattled agency after a tumultuous year of embarrassing security lapses and bipartisan calls for a leadership overhaul.
Clancy, who led the Secret Service presidential protection division until 2011, is personally well-liked and trusted by the Obama family, sources say.
He retired from the Secret Service four years ago to take a post as a corporate security director at Comcast, but returned at Obama’s request after the abrupt resignation of director Julia Pierson last year.
By selecting Clancy as Pierson’s official replacement, Obama is bucking the recommendation of an independent review panel that had called for outside blood to lead the agency, saying it suffered from an insulated management culture and lack of aggressive leadership.
But the pick is also widely seen as an effort to boost morale in the rank and file. Clancy is well respected among agents and officers and has worked to repair the damage of a difficult year.
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