Who Is Joseph Clancy? Trump's Secret Service Director Announces Retirement Less Than A Month Into New Administration

Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy will step down next month after nearly three decades at the agency, the Secret Service announced Tuesday.

"I am announcing I will retire from the Secret Service effective March 4," Clancy said in message to staffers, USA Today reported. "As all of you know, President Trump and his administration have been very supportive of this agency and of me personally which makes this a very difficult decision... My love for this agency has only complicated the decision further, but for personal reasons it is time. I look forward to spending time with my family.''

Clancy joined the Secret Service in 1984 and was the former head of President Obama's protective detail. The president tapped Clancy to take over the agency in late 2014, after three years away in the private sector working for Comcast. Clancy took over a agency that was reeling from a series of high-profile failures, including a White House break-in by an armed intruder, which led to a congressional inquiry and the resignation of previous director Julia Pierson.

Obama originally hired Clancy as interim director, but the president went against the recommendations of an expert panel and selected Clancy as permanent director, the Washington Post reported. The panel had recommended that the agency should be led by an outsider.

Clancy presided over a understaffed force that at one time had 500 fewer staffers than it was authorized to employ, the Post said. Clancy managed security for a cantankerous 2016 presidential campaign without serious incident and said his proudest accomplishment was overseeing Pope Francis's four-city tour in 2015.

“We had been going through a tough time, but I could see in their eyes and hear in their voices they were determined to succeed,” Clancy told the Post. “They wanted to prove to everyone they could complete this most difficult mission, and they did. I knew they were exhausted, but they were determined, and knowing what they had been through over recent years, it was inspirational to me.”

Rumored replacements include George Mulligan, the agency's current chief operating officer, former Clinton detail lead Larry Cockell, former assistant director Mickey Nelson, and recently promoted deputy director William Callahan, according to the Post.