Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz got into a very intense back-and-forth with the new acting Director of the Secret Service, Ronald Rowe Jr., while pressing him about the number of agents that were working the Butler, Pennsylvania rally where an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump took place on July 13. The altercation happened during a U.S. Senate hearing concerning the incident and reached a fever pitch when Cruz asked Rowe how many times Trump has been denied his requests for additional protection from the agency.

“The process, sir, is that a detail will make a request for either staffing or technical assets, which is handled between the field office and the detail,” Rowe told Cruz. “It goes up to a logistics office between our offices.” Cruz then replied by saying, “So let me tell you what I believe,” Cruz stated during the hearing. “I believe that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests, and I think the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics.”

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Rowe continued to insist that the decisions that are made within the Secret Service are not based on politics, which only fired up Cruz even more. “Does the buck stop anywhere?” the fiery Texas Republican shouted. “You are not a Congress! You don’t have a cameral! By the way, is it true that on the day of the Butler event that Secret Service transferred an agent from President Trump to the first lady?” The acting director then responded by saying, “No sir, that’s not true.”

Cruz’s passions got even more intense when Rowe attempted to explain why an active, sitting president like Joe Biden would have a considerably larger Secret Service detail than a former president. “That’s what you asked me, Senator, and I’m trying to answer it,” Rowe said as Cruz yelled into the microphone. “You are not answering it!” the senator exclaimed. “Is it the same number of agents or not?” Rowe then answered, “Senator, there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States. There are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get.”

“Sir, you are refusing to answer straight!” Cruz added, somehow becoming even more fiery. “Sir, stop interrupting, stop interrupting me! You are refusing to answer clear and direct questions,” he added. “I’m not asking why you assign more to Joe Biden.” Rowe responded to the Texas senator by saying, “Senator, I will get you that number so you can see it with your own eyes.”

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