No. 2 official in Secret Service loses job in agency shakeup

WASHINGTON (AP) – The deputy director of the Secret Service is resigning his position but will be allowed to accept another unspecified federal job within the Homeland Security Department. As the No. 2 official in command, Alvin “A.T.” Smith managed the agency’s day-to-day operations.

Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and others have criticized Smith, saying that he’s been at the center of bad decisions in a sequence of Secret Service scandals that badly tainted the agency. Smith was deputy director since April 2012, but his career in the Secret Service lasted 29 years before he was forced out.

Secret Service Acting Director Joseph P. Clancy said in a statement that Smith’s contributions had been invaluable. Smith’s resignation is effective starting Tuesday.