ADDS MORE REMARKS
By Servet Gunerigok
WASHINGTON (AA) - The attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump was a "failure on multiple levels," Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said Tuesday.
Rowe said he identified gaps in security on the day of the assassination attempt and has "implemented corrective actions."
"One of my first actions as acting director was traveling to the site to better understand how our protection failed," Rowe told senators, alongside FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, during a joint hearing by the Senate Judiciary and Governmental Affairs committees on the July 13 assassination attempt.
"What I saw made me ashamed," he said. "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, I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented," said Rowe.
Rowe also said the agency will use drones to prevent future security lapses.
In addition, the acting director said neither Secret Service sniper teams nor members of Trump's security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof with a firearm.
"It is my understanding those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots," said Rowe.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a lone 20-year-old gunman, opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in the state of Pennsylvania striking him in his right ear.
The gunman killed one spectator and seriously injured two others.
Crooks was killed at the scene.
- Social media posts
Abbate said authorities found a social media account with posts that might be related to the shooter.
"Something just very recently uncovered that I want to share is a social media account, which is believed to be associated with this with the shooter. In about the 2019, 2020 timeframe, there were 700 comments posted" and they "appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence, and are described as extreme in nature," he said.
Rowe, meanwhile, said the agency had no justification for not recognizing the risk posed by the building from which the shooter fired.
"I could not, and I will not, and I cannot understand why there was not better coverage, or at least somebody at that roof line when that's where they were posted," he Rowe.
Asked by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar to explain what went wrong, Rowe responded: "I thought long and hard about this. I think this was a failure of imagination -- a failure to imagine that we actually do live in a very dangerous world where people do actually harm to our protectees."
"I think it was a failure to challenge our own assumptions," said Rowe.
"We assume that someone’s going to cover that, we assume there’s going to be uniform presence. We didn’t challenge that internally during that advance," he added.
- Shouting match
In addition, a shouting match erupted between Sen. Josh Hawley and Rowe during the hearing. In a heated exchange, Hawley criticized Rowe for not firing those involved in security decisions.
Rowe said the investigations remain ongoing "into the failures" on that day and stated loudly that he would "not rush to judgment."
"People will be held accountable,” said Rowe.
Later, the senator asked: “Is it not prima fascia that somebody has failed? The former president was shot.”
"Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository," Rowe responded. "I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have."
"Then fire somebody," Hawley responded.
Rowe reiterated that he would not rush to judgment and unfairly persecute individuals, adding that there must be a proper investigation into the assassination.
Another heated exchange came from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, regarding the number of agents protecting Trump, asking why the former president does not get the same number of agents as President Joe Biden.
"There is a difference between the sitting President of the United States,” Rowe responded.
"Then what’s the difference," shouted Cruz.
"The difference, national command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir," Rowe said in response. "There are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get."
Cruz later accused the agency of making a "political decision" by denying requests or inquiring about the security the former president is receiving.
Rowe denied the claim, saying: "What I will tell you is that Secret Service agents are not political."