Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) got into a verbal altercation about the presence of the acting director during the 9/11 memorial during a hearing focused on President-elect Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.
Fallon accused Rowe of putting the Secret Service detail out of position so he could sit behind Trump during the 9/11 memorial ceremony in New York this year. Congressional aides displayed a photo of Rowe standing behind Trump, but Fallon asserted that Rowe should have been directly next to Trump if he was the special agent in charge.
Rowe then began to discuss his time working on cleaning up the aftermath of the attacks, which is when the hearing took a turn toward chaos.
“I actually responded to ground zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center,” Rowe said.
Fallon then yelled, “I’m not asking you,” to which Rowe cut him off to yell back, “I was there, congressman.”
“I was there to show respect … for those who died on 9/11. Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes,” Rowe shouted.
“Oh, I am not,” Fallon responded pointing his finger at Rowe. “I’m an elected member of Congress and I’m asking you a serious question, and you are playing politics.”
“I am a public servant who has served this nation,” Rowe said before being cut off by Fallon, who said, “You won’t answer the question.”
“I’m asking you a serious question for the American people, and it’s very simple. They’re not trick questions. Were you the special agent in charge that day?” Fallon asked as some order was brought back to the hearing.
“I wasn’t. I was there representing the United States Secret Service, sir, and that does not affect protective operations,” Rowe said.
Fallon then accused Rowe of “wanting to be visible” when the pair began shouting at each other again. Rowe said Fallon was “out of line.” When asked if he had a radio or weapon on him, Rowe said he did and repeated that Fallon was “out of line.”
Fallon’s time to speak was then up, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) began his line of questioning.
When speaking to reporters after the hearing, Fallon clarified the reason for his line of questioning. He accused Rowe, as acting director, of being there for a photo opportunity or good optics.
“He could have been there as a dignitary like any of us do. He didn’t need to be an interloper and interfere with the protection of the president of the United States and the vice president,” Fallon said. “Did we learn anything from July 13? Which was my point to bring it up there.”
“He wouldn’t answer the questions. He wouldn’t let me ask the questions. Did he attend the operational briefing that day? My sources say he did not,” Fallon explained, adding, “I didn’t get to ask the question because he blew up like a child.”
Fallon also claimed that some Secret Service agents had brought up complaints about Rowe’s presence there because he was not the special agent in charge.
“My point in bringing it up was we clearly didn’t learn enough from the 13th when President Trump was almost killed by doing the same thing,” Fallon said.
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“So why are you getting in the middle of their protection? Because that’s a bunch of b*******. He could have been there and paid his respects to 9/11 as every American wants to and not interrupt the protection,” Fallon continued.
The Secret Service has been under intense scrutiny from lawmakers after the assassination attempt in July for its lapse in security.
