(NewsNation) — Michael Plati, an assistant director for the Secret Service, is set to step down from his position in the coming days.
Fox News reported Tuesday that the decision is linked to security failures during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. When asked about this, though, Greg Henning, Plati’s spokesperson, said the timing is “coincidental” and that Plati approached acting director Ronald Rowe about his retirement before the DNC last month.
“Mike has been discussing this for more than a year. He’s retiring on the date of his 27-year anniversary working for the Secret Service,” Henning told Fox.
Although Fox initially said Plati was asked to retire by senior leadership, including Rowe, a Secret Service spokesperson denied this in a statement to NewsNation.
“This was a personal decision that he has made and we thank him for his 27 years of dedicated service to the federal government,” the spokesperson said. Henning said the same to Fox.
“He wasn’t asked to retire or resign, and anyone saying otherwise is lying,” he said.
Secret Service’s response to the July 13 shooting at a campaign rally in Butler Pennsylvania has been heavily criticized, leading to the resignation of the agency’s former director, Kimberly Cheatle.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.