U.S. Secret Service Assistant Director Anthony (Tony) Ornato has announced his retirement amid an ongoing investigation by a House select committee into what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., as Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building.
As Politico reported, the agency confirmed Ornato's departure, an announcement released earlier Monday within the U.S. Secret Service. Ornato is now a private citizen and no longer a federal employee.
According to Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, Ornato became eligible for retirement this year and will leave the agency in good standing. Ornato joined the U.S. Secret Service in 1997.
As CNN reported, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection confirmed it believes Ornato was a central figure on Jan. 6 and believes he could provide much-needed information on former President Trump's intentions in the moments surrounding the Jan. 6 insurrection.
According to Politico, Ornato has indicated he would be willing to testify before the select committee to respond to former Trump White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson's allegations that he said Trump was irate about being denied a trip to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Ornato has not yet testified.
Guglielmi said, “We have continuously made Tony Ornato available.”
Secret Service Director James Murray announced his own intentions to retire, but put a pause on those plans citing pending investigations into Secret Service conduct, according to Politico.
