Secret Service director to "briefly delay" retirement amid multiple investigations into agency
CBSN
U.S. Secret Service Director James Murray announced Thursday that he will "briefly delay" his retirement amid multiple investigations into the agency's response to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In an internal message sent to staff Thursday afternoon and obtained by CBS News, Murray announced his decision to "briefly delay my retirement and transition to the private sector in order to help bridge the gap and foster a smooth and meaningful transition for our future Director." The director added that he "recently spoke with Secretary Mayorkas and White House leadership, who each agreed and extended the opportunity to do so."
The note was sent minutes after Murray had informed agency leadership of his decision to stay on for the immediate future, according to two U.S. Secret Service officials.
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.