by WorldTribune Staff, July 30, 2024 Contract With Our Readers

In testimony before senators on the Homeland and Judiciary committees on Tuesday, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that no one at the agency has yet been fired over the admitted failure to protect former President Donald Trump at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.

Rowe insisted that a full investigation was needed to find who was at fault before anyone at the agency lost their job.

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe: ‘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.’ / Video Image

Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn read from an email (see below) obtained by RealClearPolitics political correspondent Susan Crabtree in which a counter sniper states that all top leaders at the Secret Service should “resign or be fired.”

Rowe, who took over after former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last week after bipartisan calls for her to step down following her widely criticized testimony before the House Oversight Committee, said in his opening statement on Tuesday:

“I went to the roof of the AGR building where the assailant fired shots and laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed. 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.”

Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley slammed Rowe for not taking steps to fire agents who were responsible for making decisions that led to security failures prior to the assassination attempt of Trump.

Hawley asked Rowe: “Who is the lead site agent who decided to leave the AGR building completely outside the security perimeter? Who was that?”

When Rowe wouldn’t answer who it was, Hawley followed up, asking: “Have they been relieved of duty?”

“Senator, they have not been relieved of duty,” Rowe answered.

Hawley added: “I know their name by the way. Why have they not been relieved of duty?”

Rowe repeatedly said the Secret service had to do a full investigation to determine who was at fault and could not answer multiple questions.

Hawley then stated: “What more do you need to investigate to know that there were critical enough failures that some individuals ought to be held accountable?” The exchange between Hawley and Rowe got particularly heated when Hawley demanded the security head “fire somebody.”

“I will tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and put people unfairly prosecuted,” Rowe responded.

Rowe said on Tuesday that neither the Secret Service countersniper teams nor members of Trump‘s security detail had “any knowledge” that there was a shooter with a gun on the roof.”

“It is my understanding those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots,” Rowe said.

The acting director said he has implemented “corrective actions” since taking over for Cheatle, including visiting the Butler rally site. Cheatle never visited the site, a fact for which House Oversight members blasted her.

“What I saw made me ashamed,” Rowe said regarding his view of the roof at the rally site. “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.”

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Meanwhile, Crabtree reported on Tuesday that Rowe had been directly involved in denying additional security resources and personnel, including counter snipers, to Trump’s rallies and events.

“It was Rowe’s decision alone to deny counter sniper teams to any Trump event outside of driving distance from D.C.,” Crabtree reported, citing sources familiar with Secret Service decision-making.

Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate appeared Tuesday before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees.

Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills on Monday pledged to fund a “parallel independent investigation” into the assassination attempt after not being selected to sit on a House task force that will investigate the rally shooting.

“It’s very unfortunate but not surprising for anyone familiar with how DC works. I’m not a politician, leadership, or a ‘yes man,’” Mills said in a statement on Monday.

“I wish the members of Speaker Johnson’s Task Force well, and think it’s time for a parallel independent investigation with subject matter experts (SME) and the whistleblowers who’ve already come forward that myself and Rep. Eli Crane and Benny Johnson have spoken with,” Mills said. “I will be speaking with other members, and although I won’t have subpoena powers, I will personally fund whatever is required for additional staff to further investigation and expose the truth.”

The 13-member task force will be chaired by Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, who represents Butler and was present at the rally during the shooting. The ranking member will be Colorado Democrat Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army ranger and Bronze Star recipient who sits on the House Intelligence and Foreign Affairs committees.

🚨🚨@MarshaBlackburn READS FROM THE EMAIL I was given exclusively this morning from a Secret Service counter sniper. That counter sniper sent the email to every employee at the agency’s Uniform Division last night.

In the email, attached below, the counter sniper, whose name I… pic.twitter.com/xvRRJ6Fiis

— Susan Crabtree (@susancrabtree) July 30, 2024

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  ‘Resign or be fired’: Acting Secret Service director faces the music, Kimberly Cheatle, Ronald Rowe, WorldTribune.com

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