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From The Hill: Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe struck a different tone from his predecessor Tuesday, telling a meeting of dual Senate committees he was “ashamed” by the attempted assassination of former President Trump and was prepared to be candid with lawmakers.
In his opening statement before the Senate’s Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Rowe said he visited the site of the July 13 rally where the shooting occurred and lay on the roof Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from.
“I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured to prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future,” he told lawmakers.
“I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented. It is clear to me that other protective enhancements could have strengthened our security,” he said, a nod to the Trump campaign’s request for additional protective personnel that day.
“What I saw made me ashamed.”
Ronald Rowe, acting director of the USSS, admitting today that it was an utter failure to not secure the roof of the AGR building. pic.twitter.com/qFPeyV3w8c
— Natalie Jean Beisner (@NJBeisner) July 30, 2024
Rowe claimed, “Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president’s security detail had ANY knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the AGR building with a firearm…It is my understanding that those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.”
U.S. Secret Service Acting Director: “Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president’s security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof…those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.” pic.twitter.com/t3OU06Hy0p
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 30, 2024
Rowe showed lawmakers photos taken from the roofs of the buildings, both from where the gunman was positioned, and where the counter snipers were positioned.
“Looking left, why was the assailant not seen? When we were told that building was going to be covered,” he claimed.
U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Rowe provides lawmakers with images from the roof where the gunman was and the line of sight issues: “This is what our counter sniper team saw; shooter, no elbows. You barely make out the crown of his head.” pic.twitter.com/LPJ1UIU7mG
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 30, 2024
According to journalist Kyle Becker, it was Rowe himself who “had a key role limiting Secret Service resources to protect Donald Trump ahead of an assassination attempt on July 13th.”
“It was Rowe’s decision alone to deny counter sniper teams to any Trump event outside of driving distance from D.C.,” sources told Real Clear Politics.
Story by @susancrabtree https://t.co/eRf7CcGJYy pic.twitter.com/FWaVyoGd3B
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) July 30, 2024
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called out the failures to provide drone coverage at the event.
Sen. Chuck Grassley questions the communication failure at the Butler, PA rally:
“The drone service was supposed to be operational that day but however we’ve been told by Secret Service that because of cellular bandwidth problems it wasn’t operational until 5:20PM of that day..” pic.twitter.com/QhMMVhJfSg
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 30, 2024
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