Rowe, speaking to reporters about the armed attack while Trump was addressing supporters from the podium at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, said, “This was a mission failure. Our sole responsibility as an agency is to ensure that those we are obligated to protect are not put in danger.”
Emphasizing that the Secret Service is ultimately responsible for the security lapses, Rowe repeatedly stated that local police forces should not be held accountable for the security failures in the attack on Trump.
The Acting Director continued, saying:
“We failed to achieve this in Butler and I am working to ensure that this failure does not happen again. I am focused on ensuring that all resources of the Secret Service are used to defend those under our protection and have made and will continue to implement changes to ensure this.”
Rowe, who testified at a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Governmental Affairs Committees on July 30, emphasized that he would continue to cooperate in oversight investigations.
Assassination attempt on Trump
Former US President Donald Trump was attacked while addressing supporters from the podium at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. One person attending the rally was killed, two were injured, and the US Secret Service announced that the assailant was neutralized.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) classified the attack as an assassination attempt and, after investigations, announced that the person who attempted the assassination and was killed at the scene was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Following the shooting of former US President Donald Trump during his campaign rally, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle faced criticism and resigned on July 23.
After Cheatle, Acting Director Roland Rowe testified at the Senate committee on July 30 regarding the assassination attempt, stating that he “could not justify” why the roof where the attempt on Trump was made had not been secured.
