Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe faced pointed questions from House lawmakers on Thursday about actions he has taken to address threats to President-elect Donald Trump better in the wake of the two attempts on his life this year.
Testifying during a House task force’s final hearing on the assassination attempts, Rowe said that disciplinary action against agents was underway, and he listed out numerous changes he has made at the agency.
Rowe said that in response to the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, his review found there were “multiple employees that warrant disciplinary action” and that while “there will be accountability,” due process takes time.
Rowe also said a “paradigm shift” has occurred at the agency that has included a higher level of protection for Trump; expanded use of unmanned aerial systems, such as drones; expanded use of ballistic countermeasures, such as bulletproof glass; and more training for agents.
He also said a unified communication system was now in place between federal, state, and local law enforcement for events. Local police and Trump’s protective detail had not been able to communicate on the same radio frequency when local officers spotted the gunman on a nearby roof at the Butler rally.
Rowe also acknowledged, as he has on several occasions, the Secret Service’s “abject failure” at the rally, which led to the previous director resigning.
At the event, Thomas Crooks climbed atop a building fewer than 200 yards from Trump and opened fire while the president-elect was speaking to the crowd. Crooks killed one and injured two, while a bullet grazed Trump’s ear. Crooks was then killed by a counter-sniper.
Two months later, another man, Ryan Routh, was arrested after aiming a loaded rifle toward Trump International Golf Club in Florida as the president-elect was golfing. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before he could get a shot off. Routh now faces charges of attempting to assassinate Trump.
Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), the task force chairman, praised Rowe for making what Kelly described as visible improvements to the Secret Service.
The Secret Service’s performance during the Florida incident “while not flawless, got the job done,” and at a second Butler rally in October, Secret Service protection was the “difference between day and night” from the July rally, Kelly said.
The task force has operated in a fully bipartisan manner as it has investigated the two incidents, conducting dozens of interviews and reviewing thousands of pages of documents. The hearing itself, the second and final hearing for the panel before it disbands, was largely peaceful, but it reverted for a moment to a loud screaming match between Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX).
Fallon confronted Rowe about his presence at a 9/11 memorial in September, causing Rowe to become defensive and reveal that he was a first responder during the terrorist attack two decades ago and that he was attending the memorial to represent the Secret Service.
The shocking outburst between the two led to Fallon accusing Rowe of trying to keep his post as the head of the Secret Service by appearing in close proximity to Trump at the memorial. Fallon yelled that Rowe would be replaced “come Jan. 20” when Trump takes office.
Fallon later clarified to reporters that he received complaints from Secret Service agents about Rowe’s attendance at the memorial. The agents said Rowe should not have been positioned closer to Trump and President Joe Biden than the agent who was in charge of protecting them that day, Fallon said.
“Why are you getting in the middle of their protection? Because that’s a bunch of bulls***. He could have been there and paid his respects to 9/11, as every American wants to, and not interrupt the protection,” Fallon said.
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Trump has been, according to reports, weighing candidates to lead the Secret Service, signaling he could be preparing to replace Rowe. Rowe recently unsuccessfully attempted to meet with Trump, CNN reported.
As their final action, the task force members said they would vote soon to release a report on their investigative findings. The report is expected to largely mimic information contained in the internal review released by the Secret Service and the investigative report released by the Senate.
