Randolph “Tex” Alles is the outgoing director of US Secret Service.
Alles is leaving his position, NBC News reported Monday. The news comes after CNN reported that President Donald Trump ordered acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to “fire” Alles.
According to CNN, Alles was informed two weeks earlier that he would be replaced.
The network added that officials at the agency were surprised by the move, which they only learned from media reports.
The ouster comes days after Secret Service came under fire when a Chinese woman illegally entered Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a flash drive containing malware.
The news comes a day after Trump announced the resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Randolph ‘Tex’ Alles Was ‘Asked to Leave’ by Trump Administration
Alles was “asked to leave” by the Trump administration two weeks prior to his departure being reported. Alles remains at his position until a replacement has been appointed, CNN reported.
The outlet reported that Trump instructed acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to “fire” Alles.
“This was not based on any single event,” an administration official told NBC News, adding that Trump is looking to overhaul the entire Department of Homeland Security, which Secret Service is part of.
2. Secret Service Officials ‘Caught by Surprise’ by Alles Departure
Secret Service officials were “caught by surprise” by the news, which they learned from the CNN report.
An administration official told NBC News that Alles was asked to leave 10 to 14 days before the news report.
NBC News confirmed that Alles is stepping down.
3. Alles Was Picked by Trump to Head Secret Service in 2017
Alles was appointed to head the agency by Trump in April of 2017.
He was the first director of the agency in at least 100 years not to serve in the Secret Service prior to heading the agency, NBC News reported.
Alles previously served as the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection and previously led the agency’s Air and Marine Operations.
He s a 35-year veteran of the Marine Corps.
4. Alles’ Departure Comes After Chinese Woman Illegally Entered Mar-a-Lago
An administration official told NBC News that Alles was told about the departure 10 to 14 days earlier, before an incident in which a Chinese woman illegally entered Mar-a-Lago with Chinese passports and a flash drive containing malware.
Trump praised Secret Service after the incident, saying he “could not be happier with Secret Service” despite the entry.
“Secret Service has done a fantastic job from Day 1. Very happy with them,” he told reporters.
Alles was tapped to lead the agency after a California man was able to scale the White House fence in March 2017.
5. Alles, Nielsen Firings Suggest Larger Shakeup in Trump Administration
Alles’ departure from Secret Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, was reported one day after DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned.
Nielsen resigned after repeatedly clashing with Trump, who wanted her to implement more hardline and entirely illegal policies at the United States-Mexico border. The move comes as administration officials say Trump adviser Stephen Miller is leading shakeup of the department in hopes of staffing it with immigration hardliners.
“There is a near-systematic purge happening at the nation’s second-largest national security agency,” a senior administration official told CNN.
CNN reported that United States Citizenship and Immigration Services director Francis Cissna and Office of the General Counsel’s John Mitnick are also expected to depart in the coming days.
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