‘Human shield’ was chosen by Mr. Trump to be director of the Secret Service

“I am honored to appoint Sean Curran as director of the US Secret Service. Sean is a great patriot who has protected my family for the past few years. That is why I trust him to lead the men you, brave woman of the Secret Service,” President Donald Trump announced on January 22.

The appointment decision is different from usual because Curran is not part of the senior leadership of the Secret Service, but does not come as a surprise. Curran has been rumored to be the leading candidate to lead the Secret Service for weeks. Donald Trump Jr., Mr. Trump’s son, revealed the White House owner’s intentions last week.

The Director of the Secret Service is a position that does not require Senate confirmation. Curran will soon take over the Secret Service from interim leader Ronald Rowe.

Curran, from New York City, New York State, joined the US Secret Service in September 2001. He is a special agent at the Newark, New Jersey Field Office, responsible for protection, intelligence, investigation, recruitment and logistical support for area officials.

Curran later worked in a unit in charge of protecting vulnerable people and joined President Barack Obama’s bodyguard team, said Jonathan Wackrow, a former special agent who worked with Curran for many years.

During Mr. Trump’s first term in 2017-2021, Curran was Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Presidential Protection Unit (PPD), the unit in charge of ensuring security for the president and his family.

Curran then took charge of Mr. Trump’s bodyguards, ensuring the former president’s safety under Mr. Joe Biden. Curran commands about 80 members and is said to have a close relationship with Mr. Trump.

When Mr. Trump was targeted at Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024, Curran was one of the agents who rushed onto the stage to set up a “human shield” and put Mr. Trump in the car to the hospital.

“He showed courage and fearlessness when he risked his life to save my life from an assassin’s bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania,” President Trump said in an announcement on January 22.

Since before the failed assassination, Curran had repeatedly asked the US Secret Service to pay more attention to protecting the Republican candidate, increasing the number of troops and resources, but received no response.

The US Secret Service later came under attack for exposing serious security holes, forcing director Kim Cheatle to resign. Acting Director Rowe suspended many agents to investigate, mostly at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Field Office.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump praised his bodyguards, helping them avoid criticism. CBS News reported that Curran was promoted to Deputy Special Agent in Charge of PPD on December 29, 2024.

“I have complete confidence that Sean will make the US Secret Service stronger than ever,” Mr. Trump said.

According to observers, Mr. Trump had his own calculations when ignoring the recommendation that two congressional committees made in 2015 and earlier this year that the president should choose someone from outside the Secret Service to be the director of this agency.

“Trump wanted someone he could trust and clearly, the two formed a bond after the events in Pennsylvania,” Bill Gage, a former special agent under presidents George W. Bush and Obama told Fox News. “The errors at Butler were from the advance team. The agents protecting Mr. Trump and Curran acted as trained.”

“The appointment move is unconventional, but that’s what this new administration is,” Wackrow said, describing Curran as trustworthy, attentive to details, knowledgeable about the Secret Service and with a sense of humor. “He is approachable and very loved.”

However, Mr. Trump’s choice of director of the Secret Service also raises some concerns, because Curran has never held a position at headquarters in Washington and is not a member of the Senior Executive Board, consisting of officials. highest rank in the agency. This means Curran may lack the management experience to run an agency as large and complex as the Secret Service.

In cases where former agents become directors of this agency, like Mark Sullivan or Jim Murray, they all worked at headquarters and were members of the Senior Executive Board.

After taking over power from Rowe, Curran will face two major challenges: ensuring the safety of the President and helping restore trust in the Secret Service.

“Sean has enough experience to lead, but whether he and the Secret Service will succeed depends on support from the White House and Congress,” said Donald Mihalek, a former Secret Service agent who worked with Curran. tell USA Today.