Starting next month, Secret Service Director James Murray will join Snap, Snapchat's parent company, as per The Verge report. Accordingly, he will report directly to CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel.
Murray is retiring from his post at the government. In a public statement, the Secret Service announced Murray's official departure after his longtime protective service in the agency.
Murray Will Help Protect the Safety and Security of Snap Employees
In a statement to The Verge, Pete Boogaard, Snap spokesperson, said: "We're thrilled to welcome Jim Murray to Snap and look forward to him joining our team on August 1st."
According to Snap, Murray will be in-charge of protecting the safety and security of Snap employees. He will also work with law enforcement when necessary.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Secret Service is praising Murray for his work navigating "the unique challenges presented by the historic COVID-19 pandemic."
The agency also stated that Murray performed his duties while carrying out the agency's "integrated mission of providing protection to senior elected leaders and investigating crimes targeting our financial infrastructure."
"Jim embodies the meaning of service over self, and protected the families of U.S. Presidents like they were part of his own. We are incredibly grateful for his service to our country and our family," said President Joe Biden in a statement last Thursday.
The Secret Service is mostly in charge of protecting the safety of presidents, their families, and other high-level US officials.
However, over the last few weeks, "Secret Service agents have been roped into the House's January 6th probe into former President Donald Trump's role in allegedly inciting riots at the US Capitol," according to The Verge.
In recent days, the Secret Service has been the focus of people's attention after more details emerged about Mr. Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021. On the said date, "a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol in an effort to stop the routine process of certifying the results of the presidential election," as per the New York Times report.
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Murray Retires From the Secret Service
After a 27-year career with the Secret Service, Murray will retire from his post.
"Joining the Secret Service was the easiest decision I have ever made. Deciding it is time to move on, however, has been one of the most difficult." Murray wrote in a letter to agency employees on Thursday, as reported by the New York Times.
Former President Donald J. Trump appointed Murray in 2019 after Mr. Trump became disillusioned with the Secret Service's director at the time, Randolph D. Alles. The director of the Secret Service does not require Senate confirmation as he is directly appointed by the president.
According to the New York Times, in a letter, Murray told the homeland security secretary, Alejandro N. Mayorkas that he planned to retire and take a job outside of government.
Engadget reported that for some time now, Murray was looking to retire from public service, and that his "departure is unrelated to any recent scandals."
An agency spokesperson stated that Murray has accepted a position with the social media company Snap, which is known for its messaging app, Snapchat.
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