WASHINGTON – Today, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement on the announcement that U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan will retire at the end of the month:

“The Secret Service has a long tradition of protecting the President, Members of the Cabinet, and visiting dignitaries with honor and distinction. For nearly 30 years, Mark Sullivan served the esteemed, selective agency with integrity, and for the past seven years led it with merit and resolve. From my previous interactions with Mark during my time as a member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to our most recent meeting after I was named Chairman, it was evident that Mark was - and will always be – committed to the men and women he led everyday and to his agency’s important mission. He was also instrumental in the agency’s collaboration with state and local officials on investigating and preventing cyber crime, and I hope his successor will continue this critical initiative. Though I am sorry that I won’t be able to work with him more in the coming years, I know Mark has left a proud legacy at the Secret Service. I wish Mark and his family well as he embarks on this new chapter in life.

###