ON PAUSE

Secret Service Director Delays His Move to Snapchat to Deal With Jan. 6 Probe

His last day was supposed to be July 31 but the agency is in the midst of a criminal probe.

James Murray is determined to see the Secret Service’s self-described “unique and challenging time” all the way through. In an internal message to staff Thursday, the director said he’s putting his “retirement” on hold to “to help bridge the gap and foster a smooth and meaningful transition.” He was slated to leave the public sector on July 31 for a job as chief security officer of Snap Inc, the company that owns Snapchat, but the Secret Service is in the midst of a criminal probe into the deletion of text messages relevant to the Capitol riot. The texts from Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 were supposedly deleted by accident during a technology upgrade. “I feel strongly about using this time to oversee and ensure our agency's continued cooperation, responsiveness, and full support with respect to ongoing Congressional and other inquiries,” Murray wrote. The Department of Homeland Security is assessing whether the Secret Service can keep cooperating with the House Committee’s Jan. 6 probe while the DHS Inspector General’s criminal investigation is underway.