Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. got into a heated exchange Tuesday during a hearing focused on the security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Rowe Jr. became Acting Secret Service Director after Kim Cheatle resigned from the post last week in the wake of the Butler, PA shooting that left a rallygoer dead and others injured, including Trump himself.
Hawley grilled Rowe Jr. over why nobody at the agency has been held “accountable” for the numerous security failures that almost resulted in the death of Trump, to which Rowe responded that he didn’t want to put his “thumb on the scale” during an ongoing investigation.
For example, Hawley highlighted the official who didn’t place the AGR building, on which the shooter positioned himself to shoot Trump, within the security perimeter has not been relieved of duty.
So Trump gets shot, a good American is murdered, other individuals are critically injured – and the Secret Service hasn’t fired or taken off duty a SINGLE person involved on the day pic.twitter.com/2tv4PR0U7h
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2024
Additionally, Secret Service officials responsible for the communication failures between the agency and local law enforcement also have not been fired, as well as the official who decided not to pull Trump from the stage when a security threat was established.
“What more do you need to investigate to know that there were critical enough failures that some individuals ought to be held accountable? I mean, what more do you need to know?” Hawley asked.
The Secret Service director says it’s “unfair persecution” to relieve of duty leadership responsible for the Trump rally security debacle? Are you serious? It’s called accountability. Of which so far there has been ZERO pic.twitter.com/ZYMN3i3CZI
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2024
“Isn’t the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded — isn’t that enough mission failure for you to say that the person who decided that building should not be in the security perimeter probably ought to be stepped down?” Hawley said, referencing the AGR building Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from.
“A lot of people didn’t do their jobs,” Hawley said.
Rowe Jr. continued, “I cannot put my thumb on the scale, otherwise–“
“What do you mean, put your thumb on the scale?” Hawley asked.
Rowe Jr. shot back, “You’re asking me, senator, to completely make a rush to judgment about someone failing. I acknowledged this was a failure.”
“A former president was shot!” Hawley yelled.
Full exchange:
Sen. Josh Hawley’s went straight for Acting Director Ronald Howe’s canned, pre-scripted answers that have never been good enough.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 30, 2024
Here’s the full exchange. Watch.
💥💥 pic.twitter.com/ThzxslKvY8
After Hawley insisted Rowe Jr. “fire somebody and hold them accountable,” an emotional Rowe argued he didn’t want to see Secret Service officials “unfairly persecuted.”
Rowe Jr. said, “I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have, and I’ll 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 [make] people unfairly persecuted.”
“Unfairly persecuted?!” Hawley exclaimed.
“Unfairly, sir!” Rowe Jr. yelled.
“We’ve got people who are dead!” Hawley snapped.
Rowe Jr. continued to insist it would be irresponsible to assign blame before a thorough and fair investigation concluded.
“I don’t really care much about your protocols,” Hawley responded. “I think if your protocols don’t provide for the fact that when a former president is shot, when an American is killed, when other rally goers — innocent people who just showed up on the day — when they are shot at and critically wounded, if that isn’t a protocol violation…you should revise your protocols.”
The Secret Service director to me today: a lot of people made a lot of mistakes but we won’t tell you who and we won’t fire anybody
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2024
Watch the full Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing:
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Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) grilled new acting agency chief over why no one was fired since former President Donald Trump was shot on July 13.Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. got into a heated exchange Tuesday during a hearing focused on the security failures that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Rowe Jr. became Acting Secret Service Director after Kim Cheatle resigned from the post last week in the wake of the Butler, PA shooting that left a rallygoer dead and others injured, including Trump himself.
Hawley grilled Rowe Jr. over why nobody at the agency has been held “accountable” for the numerous security failures that almost resulted in the death of Trump, to which Rowe responded that he didn’t want to put his “thumb on the scale” during an ongoing investigation.
For example, Hawley highlighted the official who didn’t place the AGR building, on which the shooter positioned himself to shoot Trump, within the security perimeter has not been relieved of duty.
So Trump gets shot, a good American is murdered, other individuals are critically injured – and the Secret Service hasn’t fired or taken off duty a SINGLE person involved on the day pic.twitter.com/2tv4PR0U7h
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2024
Additionally, Secret Service officials responsible for the communication failures between the agency and local law enforcement also have not been fired, as well as the official who decided not to pull Trump from the stage when a security threat was established.
“What more do you need to investigate to know that there were critical enough failures that some individuals ought to be held accountable? I mean, what more do you need to know?” Hawley asked.
The Secret Service director says it’s “unfair persecution” to relieve of duty leadership responsible for the Trump rally security debacle? Are you serious? It’s called accountability. Of which so far there has been ZERO pic.twitter.com/ZYMN3i3CZI
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2024
“Isn’t the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded — isn’t that enough mission failure for you to say that the person who decided that building should not be in the security perimeter probably ought to be stepped down?” Hawley said, referencing the AGR building Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from.
“A lot of people didn’t do their jobs,” Hawley said.
Rowe Jr. continued, “I cannot put my thumb on the scale, otherwise–“
“What do you mean, put your thumb on the scale?” Hawley asked.
Rowe Jr. shot back, “You’re asking me, senator, to completely make a rush to judgment about someone failing. I acknowledged this was a failure.”
“A former president was shot!” Hawley yelled.
Full exchange:
Sen. Josh Hawley’s went straight for Acting Director Ronald Howe’s canned, pre-scripted answers that have never been good enough.
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 30, 2024
Here’s the full exchange. Watch.
💥💥 pic.twitter.com/ThzxslKvY8
After Hawley insisted Rowe Jr. “fire somebody and hold them accountable,” an emotional Rowe argued he didn’t want to see Secret Service officials “unfairly persecuted.”
Rowe Jr. said, “I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have, and I’ll 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 [make] people unfairly persecuted.”
“Unfairly persecuted?!” Hawley exclaimed.
“Unfairly, sir!” Rowe Jr. yelled.
“We’ve got people who are dead!” Hawley snapped.
Rowe Jr. continued to insist it would be irresponsible to assign blame before a thorough and fair investigation concluded.
“I don’t really care much about your protocols,” Hawley responded. “I think if your protocols don’t provide for the fact that when a former president is shot, when an American is killed, when other rally goers — innocent people who just showed up on the day — when they are shot at and critically wounded, if that isn’t a protocol violation…you should revise your protocols.”
The Secret Service director to me today: a lot of people made a lot of mistakes but we won’t tell you who and we won’t fire anybody
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2024
Watch the full Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing:
https://www.infowars.com/posts/watch-acting-secret-service-director-admits-nobodys-been-fired-after-attempted-trump-assassination2024-07-30T13:41:52.000Z2024-07-30T13:41:52.000Z