Biden Announces New Director For Secret Service Amid Criticism Of Federal Agency Over Missing Texts Related To Jan. 6 Riot

As the Jan. 6 probe widens, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a change at the helm of a federal agency that is facing the heat for missed text messages exchanged by its agents during the Capitol Hill Insurrection.

What Happened: The president has selected Kim Cheatle to be the next director of the U.S. Secret Service, a White House press statement said. The Secret Service is a federal agency coming under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security. It is vested with the responsibility of conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and visiting heads of state or government.

Cheatle would take over from James Murray who announced his intention to retire to take up a role at Snapchat parent Snap, Inc. SNAP.

The new appointee is not a stranger to the agency, as she had served it in various leadership capacities for 27 years. In 2021, she moved out to take over as a security executive at PepsiCo., Inc. PEP.

See also: Jan 6. Committee Aides Went To Denmark To View Documentary Footage Featuring Key Trump Ally

Cheatle had served on Biden’s security details when he was vice president. The president said he and first lady Jill Biden know “firsthand” Cheatle’s commitment to her job and to the Secret Service’s people and mission.

“She is a distinguished law enforcement professional with exceptional leadership skills, and was easily the best choice to lead the agency at a critical moment for the Secret Service,” the president said in a statement.

Why It’s Important: The Secret Service told the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riots that the messages from around the time were cleaned when its phones were migrated to a new system shortly after the incident.

The decisions on which electronic records should be kept and which ought to be deleted were vested with individual agents. The agency has maintained that it had followed all procedures and pledged full cooperation with investigations.