Biden and first lady Jill Biden thanked Murray for his service in a statement Thursday, saying he “has had a long and distinguished career in federal and military service spanning three decades.” “Jim embodies the concept of service over self, and he protected the families of the Presidents of the United States as if they were his own. We are incredibly grateful for his service to our country and our family,” the Bidens said. The move comes as the agency has come under fire for an alleged incident between a Secret Service agent and Trump on Jan. 6, 2021, and the role of Tony Ornato, who was acting as a White House detail at the time. as Trump’s deputy chief of staff for operations. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide, testified before the House Select Committee last month that Ornato, now assistant director of training at the agency, told her that Trump was furious when he learned that his chief of detail, Bobby Engel, did not would take him to the US Capitol. Instead, they returned to the White House after Trump’s speech at the Ellipse that preceded the riot on Capitol Hill. Neither Engel nor Ornato have commented publicly on Hutchinson’s testimony. A Secret Service official previously told CNN that Engel denied that Trump grabbed the steering wheel or lunged at an agent, and that Ornato denied saying the same thing to Hutchinson. The official did not dispute that Trump directed his agents to take him to the Capitol. A source tells CNN that Murray’s retirement has been in the works for several months and is unrelated to the recent testimony or the House committee’s investigation. CNN’s Shawna Mizelle and Sam Fossum contributed to this report.
