Who is Sean Curran, the new head of US Secret Service

ET OnlineLast Updated: Jan 23, 2025, 09:13:00 AM IST

Synopsis

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated a Secret Service agent who rushed onstage to protect him from a would-be gunman during a failed election rally assassination bid to become the agency's next director. The president noted Curran's 23-year Secret Service career that began when he was a special agent in the Newark field office and led to his promotion to become head of the Presidential Protective Division in the Republican's first term.

President Donald Trump nominated Sean Curran to be the next director of the Secret Service on Wednesday. Curran was a member of Trump's security detail who protected him during a 2024 campaign rally assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A gunman opened fire at the rally, injuring Trump's ear. Images of Curran alongside Trump as he was escorted from the stage were widely circulated. Trump, on his website Truth Social, stated, "Sean is a Great Patriot, who has protected my family over the past few years, and that is why I trust him to lead the Brave Men and Women of the United States Secret Service."

Trump highlighted Curran’s 23 years with the Secret Service, starting as a special agent in Newark and rising to head the Presidential Protective Division. He also emphasized Curran's actions in Butler, saying, "He proved his fearless courage when he risked his own life to help save mine from an assassin's bullet in Butler, Pennsylvania." He added, "I have complete and total confidence in Sean to make the United States Secret Service stronger than ever before."

This nomination contradicts recommendations from an independent panel's review of the assassination attempt. The panel urged the Secret Service to seek leadership from outside the organization. Their report labeled the agency as "bureaucratic, complacent, and static" and warned that without reforms, similar attempts "can and will happen again."

During the July incident, a 20-year-old gunman shot from a rooftop, grazing Trump's ear and killing an audience member. The gunman, Thomas Crooks, was subsequently killed by a Secret Service sniper. The panel's report detailed security failures that contributed to the incident. Following the attack, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned and was replaced by acting director Ronald Rowe.