Trump orders firing of U.S. Secret Service chief – CNN

News Agency Of Nigeria 21:15 - 08 April 2019

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A threat by US President Donald Trump to impose car import tariffs on Mexico appeared to move him away from a previously threatened closing of the border

President Donald Trump has ordered firing of the U.S. Secret Service Director, CNN reported on Monday, a day after the resignation of another top national security official, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The Secret Service is an agency that provides protection for president Trump and other top U.S. officials.

Trump instructed his Acting Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, to fire Secret Service Director, Randolph Alles, CNN reported, citing multiple administration officials.

The White House, Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

One official described the firings to CNN as a near-systematic purge at the Department of Homeland Security.

The Secret Service director reports to the director of Homeland Security.

Nielsen, who oversaw Trumps bitterly contested immigration policies during her tumultuous 16-month tenure, resigned on Sunday amid a surge in the number of migrants at the border with Mexico.

Trump, seeking re-election in 2020, has taken a hard line toward immigration since becoming president in January 2017, and the issue may be a central theme in next years election.