Trump replaces Secret Service director

WASHINGTON—U.S. Secret Service Director Randolph “Tex” Alles is leaving his position, the White House announced Monday. President Donald Trump selected career Secret Service official James Murray to replace Alles after he steps down in May. The president announced Sunday that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had resigned, but Alles’ departure may stem from a personality conflict in the agency, not the larger overhaul going on in the Department of Homeland Security leadership ranks.

In a message to the agency’s workforce, Alles said he was not fired, but said Trump had “directed an orderly transition in leadership for this agency.” He expressed “regret” he was not able to address the department before the news broke. Nielsen, still in her official capacity as Homeland Security secretary, released a statement Monday night calling Alles “a true patriot, stepping up again and again to serve his country.”

Former White House chief of staff John Kelly recommended Alles, a former U.S. Marine general with no prior ties to the Secret Service, for the job. Alles formerly served as the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.