The acting director of the Secret Service says he is “disgraceful” after the attack against Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) – The acting director of the Secret Service told lawmakers Tuesday that he finds it unbelievable that the top used by the gunman in the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was not made. secure, and criticized law enforcement agencies for not distributing critical information before the attack and not adequately securing the site.

Ronald Rowe also noted that he recently traveled to the scene of the attack and said that what he saw was “shameful to him. He said the attack was a “failure on several levels”, including a lack of imagination.

His testimony was the most detailed catalog of mistakes and miscommunications between law enforcement agencies put forward by the Secret Service to date, and Rowe took the blame for his own agency’s mistakes while he repeatedly criticizes local law enforcement agencies for not sharing information that a man is armed,. later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was seen on the roof of a house near the site of the rally minutes before the attack on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“We assumed state and local agencies would have it covered,” Rowe said. “We assumed that there would be a uniformed presence, that there would be enough eyes to cover it, that there would be sniper teams” on the building from the roof that Crooks shot, less than 135 meters (150 yards) from the high- floor where Trump was speaking.

“And I can assure you, we will not make that mistake again,” Rowe said.

Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, was hit in the ear by a bullet or shrapnel in the assassination attempt; Likewise, one person present at the rally died and two others were wounded before the attacker was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

The candid and sometimes emotional testimony presented Tuesday, which included contentious exchanges with lawmakers, ensured a continuation of the blame game already underway between federal and local authorities . He also pointed out that Rowe, with ready and detailed answers, was determined to take a different stance than her predecessor, Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned last week after receiving strong criticism from lawmakers of both political parties after he presented answers that were considered evasive and without specific details.

Much of Tuesday’s hearing between the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees focused on what Rowe described as inappropriate information obtained by Secret Service agents in the hour before the attack, including the fact that See Crooks on the roof.

Local law enforcement officers spotted a suspicious man walking near the metal detectors, but eventually lost track of Crooks before stopping on the roof of the SGR International Inc. building. Shortly before the shooting, a local law enforcement officer climbed to the roof to investigate. Crooks pointed his rifle and the officer retreated.

“No information about a gun on the roof was ever given to our staff,” Rowe said. At another point, he noted, “I’m concerned that we didn’t get that information as soon as we should. “We didn’t know that event was happening.”