Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe testified before the Senate Judiciary and Senate Homeland Security Committees on Tuesday during a joint hearing regarding the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
During his testimony, Acting Director Rowe described as “unfair persecution” the idea of relieving officials responsible for the security breakdown at the rally where President Trump was shot and another man was killed.
Senator Hawley: Is the person in charge of the interoperability of radio frequencies between local law enforcement and Secret Service still on duty?
Acting Director Rowe: No, Senator, because interoperability is a broader challenge than one individual. On that day, our counterpart system failed spectacularly.
Senator Hawley: Has the person who decided to send Donald Trump on stage, despite knowing there was a security situation, been relieved of duty?
Acting Director Rowe: No, sir, they haven’t.
Senator Hawley: What about the person who decided not to pull the former President off stage when it was clear there was a serious security situation? Has that person been relieved of duty?
Acting Director Rowe: No, sir. As I mentioned earlier, we’re investigating this through a mission assurance process rather than targeting one or two individuals.
Senator Hawley: What more do you need to investigate to understand the decision-making process? What more do you need to determine that there were significant failures and that individuals should be held accountable?
Acting Director Rowe: I need to know exactly what happened, and I need my investigators to do their job. A lot of people didn’t do their jobs, but I can’t put my thumb on the scale.
Senator Hawley: What do you mean by putting your thumb on the scale?
Acting Director Rowe: You’re asking me to rush to judgment about someone failing. I acknowledge this was a failure of the Secret Service.
Senator Hawley: Isn’t it evident that someone failed? The former President was shot.
Acting Director Rowe: Sir, this could have been our Texas School Book Depository. I’ve lost sleep over this for the past 17 days, just like you have.
Senator Hawley: Then fire someone to hold them accountable.
Acting Director Rowe: I assure you, Senator, that I will not rush to judgment. People will be held accountable, but I will do so with integrity and fairness.
Senator Hawley: Unfairly persecuted? We have people who are dead!
The exchange highlights the tension and urgency surrounding the investigation into the security failures at the rally, with calls for accountability and immediate action from lawmakers.