President Trump appoints Sean Curran (r) as the Director of Secret Service, 1/24/2025 (Credit: public domain)
(…) Curran was wasting little time in starting to clean house at the Secret Service. On his first day on the job, as many as 10 senior leadership officials, including Rowe, were warned that they would either be fired, moved, or pressed into retirement, according to three Secret Service sources.
Curran has been inundated with information on which top officials on the 8th floor of headquarters to oust or replace. Agents are circulating removal wish lists, as well as names of those agents Curran or other members of his new leadership team already informed that their services are no longer needed.
Cynthia Sjoberg Radway
Agents are expressing an urgent need to remove Chief Operating Officer Cynthia Sjoberg Radway from her leadership post. Radway was incredibly close to Cheatle, the pair having become good friends during a previous Radway stint working for the agency. When Cheatle became director, she brought Radway back to work more directly for her in the COO role and gave her a bonus to do so, according to multiple sources. The fear is that Radway, if allowed to stay, will continue to serve as a pipeline of information back to Cheatle. She also has crossed many agents Curran respects.
“She will be a major roadblock to positive progress,” if allowed to stay, one source in the Secret Service community told RealClearPolitics.
One of the biggest points of contention about who should stay and go is being waged over an alleged decision by former USSS leadership, under Cheatle’s and Rowe’s direction, not to inform Curran of the security threats against Trump before the Butler rally.
David Torres
In addition to Cheatle and Rowe, David Torres, assistant director of Strategic Intelligence and Information, was also involved in keeping the Trump campaign detail in the dark about a specific Iranian attempt against Trump’s life. The Pittsburgh Field Office, which partnered with the Trump campaign detail for planning and executing security for the Butler rally, also was never informed before the July 13 assassination attempt. If the two Secret Service contingents had been informed, the agents charged with providing security may have upped their game to come up with a more robust security plan and far better execution, these sources contend.
Rowe officially passed the torch to Curran in a “good-bye” letter to all Secret Service personal sent late Thursday night and obtained by RealClearPolitics. In it, he praised Curran’s selection for the role, while omitting any reference to the two assassination attempts against Trump’s life while he was serving in top leadership agency roles. Rowe only became acting director after Kimberly Cheatle resigned under pressure from Congress in the wake of the Butler assassination-attempt debacle.
Rowe strangely claimed he is “excited” to announce that Curran will be the next director, the 28th in the agency’s history. (Trump previously announced that decision on Truth Social.)
“Throughout his career, Director Curran has led and played critical roles in both protective operations and the investigative mission,” Rowe wrote. “He has consistently demonstrated outstanding leadership, integrity, and courage.”
“His vision, dedication, and ability to drive results have earned him respect inside the agency and from law enforcement partners,” he continued. “I am confident that under his leadership the Secret Service will continue to grow, innovate, and remain steadfast in our unwavering commitment to succeed in our missions.” Rowe’s conclusion that he’s “proud of all that we have accomplished together” without any mention of the monumental failures in Butler and during the second assassination attempt on Trump’s life at a Florida golf course spurred instant ridicule among rank-and-file agents.
But it was the way he signed the letter that gave fellow agents and USSS officers the most pause. Rowe listed his title as deputy director, the post he held before former Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas elevated him to the acting director role following Cheatle’s resignation.
If Rowe is moving to the deputy director role with Curran in the top post, agents tell RCP they believe nothing will change, and the USSS will continue to experience protection failures, retention problems, and low morale. “When are we going to seriously fix the problems instead of putting lipstick on a pig?” one source questioned.
Yet, Rowe may simply be moving back to the deputy director job temporarily before Curran has a chance to name his own No. 2 and chief of staff. The names circulating among the Secret Service for those top leadership roles include Matthew Piant, who served as Curran’s No. 2 on the Trump campaign detail, and Tyler McQuiston, a former agent who previously served in several senior protective operations roles. (Read more: RealClearPolitics, 1/25/2025) (Archive)