Obama Selects Joseph Clancy To Lead Secret Service

President Barack Obama on Wednesday tapped Joseph Clancy, interim head of the Secret Service, to run the agency full time after controversies spanning several years came to a head last year.

Clancy, a veteran of the Secret Service who has served in Obama’s detail, has been interim director since October when Julia Pierson resigned under pressure.

In January, the agency demoted four senior officials as it continued to deal with fallout from a series of security lapses, including a September incident where a man scaled the White House fence and made his way into the residence.

Obama administration officials have lauded Clancy for helping to implement multiple short-term security enhancements to prevent breaches. Those enhancements included directing all White House ground personnel to undergo practical training and calls for additional funding for that training.

With Obama’s appointment of Clancy on Wednesday, the president rejected calls from some members of Congress and the special panel for the agency to be run by an outsider.

“It is disappointing the president ignored the recommendation from the independent panel,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight Committee.

This article appeared in print on page 3 of the February 19th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.