Ladies and gentlemen, it was a tense day on Capitol Hill as Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Jr. appeared before the Senate to address the shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Rowe's testimony marked a rare moment of accountability, as he admitted that the Secret Service, not local law enforcement, bore the brunt of the blame for the July 13 shooting. This was the most direct acknowledgment of failure we've seen from the agency since the incident occurred.
Rowe's appearance, alongside FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate, was filled with troubling revelations. One of the most alarming points was the failure of a drone detection system that was supposed to be operational well before the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, conducted his own reconnaissance. The system, it turns out, was dependent on public cellphone networks, and due to bandwidth issues, it didn't come online until 5:20 p.m., a full two hours later than planned. This delay may have cost crucial time that could have prevented the attack.
Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, didn’t hold back in questioning the reliance on public networks. He asked pointedly, "Why is the Secret Service dependent upon a local cellular network? Does the Secret Service have a backup plan in place?" Rowe's response was candid but troubling, as he admitted that the failure of this system had cost him "a lot of sleep." He lamented that if the drone detection system had been online as scheduled, it might have detected Crooks and possibly deterred him from carrying out the attack.
Do you think they’d have let Biden take the stage under these circumstances? https://t.co/WiYYRsFsq1
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 30, 2024
But the issues didn’t stop there. Rowe also faced questions about why there was no security coverage of the building Crooks used to fire at Trump. He admitted that a local sniper team was supposed to be stationed in a position with a clear view of the rooftop but, inexplicably, the position was abandoned. Despite weeks of investigation, the Secret Service still has no clear answer as to why this critical security lapse occurred.
Senator Josh Hawley, R-MO., wasn’t satisfied with Rowe's explanations and pressed him on why no Secret Service agents have been suspended or relieved of duty in connection to the shooting. Rowe insisted on waiting for the investigation's conclusion before making any personnel decisions, but Hawley argued that the gravity of the situation— a former president being shot—demanded immediate action.
Adding to the scrutiny, Senator Rick Scott, R-Fla., compared the incident to the Pulse Nightclub shooting during his time as governor. He admonished Rowe and Abbate for their lack of transparency, stating that near-daily press conferences should be the norm in such a critical investigation.
One of the more bizarre details to emerge was the fact that Crooks was spotted holding a range finder—a device typically used in golf—but was deemed only a suspicious person rather than an immediate threat. Rowe confirmed that range finders are not currently on the Secret Service’s list of prohibited items but promised to add them in the future.
The hearing also touched on a whistleblower letter referenced by Senator Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., which suggested that the Secret Service's internal work environment is in dire need of reform. While the details of the letter weren’t fully disclosed, it's clear that the agency is facing internal as well as external challenges.
As if the situation couldn’t get more complicated, Abbate revealed that the FBI has yet to gain full access to the encrypted apps on Crooks' phone. Despite some progress, key information remains locked behind encryption, and the FBI is still working to verify ownership of a social media account believed to belong to Crooks.