Who Is Randolph 'Tex' Alles? Outgoing Secret Service Director Called 'Dumbo' By Donald Trump

In yet another White House shakeup, President Trump reportedly instructed acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to fire the director of the Secret Service. Randolph D. “Tex” Alles had been told he would be removed as director effective April 25, two years after he took over for acting director William J. Callahan.

According to a New York Times report, the relationship between Alles and Trump had been souring for some time before Alles had been told in March to prepare to move on from the agency and devolved so much that Trump had reportedly mocked the size of Alles' ears, referring to him as "Dumbo."

The position of Director of Secret Service has seen plenty of turnover since 1992. With Alles' departure, there will soon be 11 directors in 27 years. Between 1912 and 1992, there were just eight directors of the agency.

Alles, 65, a Houston native, is a retired Marine Corp. general who served 35 years in the armed services after graduating from Texas A&M with an accounting degree. As part of the Marines, he would serve as a part of Fifth Battalion Staff, Fish Drill Team, the Corps Color Guard and Recon Company.

He had served as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and retired from the Marines in 2011 after reaching the rank of Major General.

Before leading the Secret Service, Alles gained experience with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and held several leadership positions within the agency from 2012 to 2017. He served as the CBP’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Air and Marine Operations in 2012 before being named Executive Assistant Commissioner in 2013. Alles would then be named Executive Assistant Commissioner for Custom’s Enterprise Services in 2016.

The Secret Service suffered through several public incidents before Alles took over in April 2017. The Atlantic noted 15 security lapses or examples of agent misconduct between June 2011 and March 2015 and the agency continued to face scrutiny in recent years after a man jumped the White House fence in March 2017, leading to the firing of two agents.

In February 2017, the then-House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz expressed appreciation for the improvements under Alles' predecessor, Joseph Clancy, who had held the position for over two years and was announcing his retirement. Chaffetz urged Trump to find someone outside the agency to lead the Secret Service before Callahan took on the acting director position for 52 days.

There were reports of financial constraints during Alles' tenure. He told USA Today in August 2017 that the Secret Service was stretched thin due to Trump's large family and the president's frequent travel

"The president has a large family, and our responsibility is required in law," Alles said. "I can't change that. I have no flexibility."

Alles and his wife, Sarah, have two children.