Trump taps head of his personal security detail to lead US Secret Service

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday tapped Sean Curran, the head of his personal Secret Service security detail who rushed to shield him during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year, to lead the US Secret Service.

Calling Curran a “great patriot”, Trump on his Truth Social platform said that Sean has protected his family in the past few days, and “that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service.”

Describing Curran as a “brilliant leader”, Trump said that he is capable of leading operational security plans for “the most complex Special Security Events in the History of our Country, and the World.”

Curran, who led Trump’s security detail for four years, stepped in to shield him during an attempted assassination on July 13, last year, in Butler, Pennsylvania. As head of Trump’s protective team, he managed a staff of 85.

He joined the Secret Service in September 2001 and became deputy special agent in charge of the Presidential Protective Detail on December 29. That unit, comprising hundreds of agents, safeguards the presidents and their family.

Trump’s decision to appoint Curran goes against recommendations by two bipartisan commissions, which advised that the next director be selected from outside the agency, CBC news reported.

Unlike other top federal positions, leading the Secret Service does not require Senate confirmation.

Curran will succeed Ron Rowe, who has served as acting director since July. Rowe stepped in after Kimberly Cheatle resigned following criticism over the agency’s handling of a campaign rally where a would-be assassin targeted Trump. The incident left two injured and resulted in the death of 50-year-old Cory Comperatore.

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