US officials: Pres. Obama taps acting director Joseph Clancy to lead Secret Service

WASHINGTON -- The White House says President Barack Obama has chosen Secret Service Acting Director Joe Clancy to fill the position permanently.

Clancy was appointed on an interim basis in a hurry last year after then-Director Julia Pierson was forced out of the agency after two embarrassing security breaches.

An independent panel tasked with reviewing the agency and making recommendations for improvements concluded earlier this year that agency was too "insular" and "starving for leadership."

They also recommended hiring an agency outsider as the next director.

Last month, four of the agency's highest-ranking officials were reassigned in response to the mishaps.