James Murray to head security at Snapchat after 27 years in government service
US Secret Service Director James Murray announced his retirement on Thursday, leaving the White House for Silicon Valley. After 27 years in government service, including the last three in charge of protecting two US presidents, Murray will take over as head of security at the parent company of Snapchat at the beginning of August.
Murray “embodies the meaning of service over self, and protected the families of US Presidents like they were part of his own. We are incredibly grateful for his service to our country and our family,” President Joe Biden and his wife Jill said in a statement commenting on his departure.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he “benefited tremendously” from having Murray as “a trusted advisor and highly regarded leader” at the DHS, which has overseen the Secret Service since 2003.
Murray took over the Secret Service in May 2019, under President Donald Trump. In his three years as director, Murray “contributed significantly to the agency’s continued professionalization and growth, and helped the agency navigate the unique challenges presented by the historic [Covid]-19 pandemic,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
Snap said the company was “thrilled” to have Murray as their head of security. When he reports to his new job on August 1, he will be in charge of security for the company’s 5,000 employees worldwide and report directly to co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel.
Murray joined the Secret Service in 1995 as a financial investigator, but transferred to the presidential protection branch in 2001. He was offered the job in April, but chose to wait till July in order not to be a “distraction from the president’s NATO summit, the Summit of the Americas out in Los Angeles and the G7 summit,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Daily Mail. He also wanted to wait until he could present the agency’s budget request to Congress, Guglielmi added.
The Secret Service was recently brought into the controversy around the 2021 riot at the US Capitol. During a televised hearing before the House January 6 committee at the end of June, Cassidy Hutchinson, aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, claimed that Trump had attacked his head of security Bobby Engel after he refused to drive him to the Capitol that day. Hutchinson said she heard the story from deputy chief of staff Tony Ornato and that Engel did not dispute it at the time.
However, the Secret Service said Hutchinson’s claim was not true, and that both Engel and Trump’s driver were willing to testify under oath to that effect.
MADRID, Jul 07 (IPS) – Far-right Brazilian president, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, was quoted a year ago or so as saying to a small group of indogenous people that they “now look a bit more like humans.”
The British prime minister has stepped down amid a non-stop wave of officials resigning
Boris Johnson announced his resignation as Tory leader on Thursday. He leaves amid several high-profile scandals, and following a wave of resignations of senior cabinet members. Johnson will remain acting head of the government until a new person is selected for the job.
Johnson capped his short address by expressing gratitude to his wife and family for enduring the hard times. He also thanked cabinet members who stood by him, and the British voters who entrusted him with the leadership of the country.
The long list of high-ranking officials who have recently left the government, dissatisfied with Johnson, includes Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Johnson fired Leveling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary Michael Gove on Wednesday, who, according to UK media, urged Johnson to step down.
Despite surviving a no-confidence vote in Parliament last month, Johnson and his cabinet have been increasingly embroiled in a number of controversies. In May, an internal inquiry confirmed that government officials had routinely flouted Covid-19 social distancing rules, and several of them, including Johnson himself, were fined.
On Tuesday, Johnson admitted that he made a “bad mistake” by appointing Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip, an official tasked with marshaling government procedures. Pincher resigned from his post late last week following allegations of sexual misconduct.
