Joseph Clancy, former head of President Obama's protective detail and the Secret Service’s current acting director, is emerging as a top candidate to be the permanent new leader of the beleaguered agency, reports the Washington Post. Obama has considered other candidates, including former FBI deputy director Sean Joyce, former Capitol Police chief Terrance Gainer and former Boston police commissioner Ed Davis.
If Obama chooses Clancy, he will be bucking the advice of a panel of experts tapped last year by the administration to recommend changes. Among the panel's suggestions: hiring a new director from the outside who could bring a fresh perspective. Clancy, 59, who has made clear his interest in getting the job, has made a good impression on Capitol Hill. A 27-year Secret Service veteran, he has assured nervous lawmakers he is serious about reform. In recent weeks, Clancy has forced out much of the agency's upper management. Obama and his wife, Michelle, deeply trust Clancy, whom they called back from a new private-sector job in October to temporarily take the helm of the Secret Service during a moment of crisis.