The new head of the Secret Service has announced several changes to the agency's security protocol following the July 13 failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. made the announcement on July 30 – a week after his predecessor Kimberly Cheatle stepped down. During a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill held on the same day, Rowe told lawmakers that he had traveled to the site where 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump.
According to Rowe, what he saw while lying in a prone position on the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building made him feel "ashamed." Crooks had positioned himself on the same spot and fired at Trump, but failed to kill the president. However, rally attendee Corey Comperatore died while shielding his family from the would-be assassin's shots.
"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," he told senators. "To prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future, I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented."
Another change Rowe announced during the hearing was the rollout of a "common operating platform" that would grant local law enforcement units a direct communication channel to Secret Service agents on ground zero. He also announced that the agency is expanding its use of drones "to ensure the people and places we protect are safe."
According to the acting director, the Secret Service has already bolstered protection for all individuals it is mandated to safeguard. Moreover, it is also conducting threat assessments for all those people. The agency has also begun protecting new people, including U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump's running mate, and independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Related: Trump calls for RFK Jr. to receive Secret Service protection.)
Rowe repeatedly DENIED Trump campaign's request for additional security in the past
The Epoch Times reported that Rowe is of the belief that agents had plenty of time to plan for the rally. He called the July 13 incident a "failure on multiple levels," echoing Cheatle's testimony before Congress a day before she stepped down.
The acting director told senators he had launched an internal investigation, promising to hold Secret Service employees accountable if they were found to have violated agency protocols. "They will be held to our table of penalties, which will include up to termination," he said.
But Rowe should be the first one to be axed from the agency, as he was one of the officials who repeatedly blocked requests from the Trump campaign for additional security. Investigative journalist Susan Crabtree made this revelation, adding that both Rowe and Cheatle were responsible for rejecting the Trump campaign's requests.
Crabtree added that the two Secret Service officials had a direct role in determining how agency resources were utilized. She also disclosed that Rowe was the official with the final authority in denying counter-sniper teams for Trump events outside reasonable driving distance from Washington, D.C., citing sources familiar with the Secret Service's decision-making process.
Rowe repeatedly denied the claim that he was the one responsible for rejecting the requests for additional security. Four Republican U.S. senators – Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas – all pressed him over this question. Rowe replied to all four in the negative.
Trump.news has more stories about the failed assassination attempt on the former president.
Watch this clip of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) grilling Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe during the July 30 Senate hearing.
This video is from the Planet Zedta channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
WashPost: Secret Service did deny Trump’s requests for more security, falsely claimed otherwise.
House Speaker Johnson opens probe into Trump assassination attempt and Secret Service lapses.
Whistleblowers allege Trump was NOT protected by Secret Service agents during assassination attempt.
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