In a recent hearing, Ronald Rowe, the current head of the Secret Service, confessed that he had no explanation for why the rooftop from which Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at former President Trump was inadequately secured.
Crooks fired eight shots from a nearby unsecured rooftop, tragically killing veteran firefighter Corey Comperatore, critically injuring two others, and grazing Trump with a bullet in his ear.
Rowe admitted, “I went up to the roof of the AGR building where the shots were fired and lay in a prone position to assess the shooter’s line of sight. What I saw made me feel ashamed as a career law enforcement officer with 25 years in the Secret Service.
I can’t defend why that roof wasn’t better secured.” He emphasized that from the unmanned rooftop, Crooks’ head would have been easily visible.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle had faced criticism for not visiting the rally site before her testimony before Congress last week, leading to her resignation.
Rowe explained that he had reenacted the shooting at the Butler site to understand how a sniper should have detected Crooks based on the roof’s slope.
During a rare joint Senate hearing, Rowe and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate provided updates.
Local law enforcement had radioed a warning to the Secret Service about a man with a rifle on the roof just 30 seconds before Crooks began firing.
Approximately three and a half minutes earlier, Crooks had already been observed on the roof.
Rowe expressed frustration about the lack of response: “Law enforcement should’ve been on that roof. I’m still trying to understand why they were in the building instead,” he told Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who questioned the delay in addressing the security threat.
Investigation Reveals Critical Gaps
Abbate revealed that the FBI had identified a social media account believed to be linked to the shooter, which had over 700 comments reflecting extreme anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant views.
Rowe mentioned that since the shooting, the Secret Service has implemented several changes, including having security plans reviewed by multiple supervisors, increasing drone usage, and streamlining the approval process for additional personnel at high-security sites.
Staffing Issues and Security Concerns
The recent release of text messages revealed severe understaffing among local law enforcement at the rally.
On July 8, just five days before the event, a law enforcement leader requested additional personnel for the rally but received limited support due to staffing shortages.
The messages and bodycam footage obtained by Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, showed that law enforcement had been aware of Crooks well over an hour before Trump took the stage.
Whistleblower Claims
A whistleblower recently disclosed that the Secret Service had repeatedly denied requests from local law enforcement to use drone technology for surveillance before the rally.
It was only after the shooting that the Secret Service changed its stance and asked for drone deployment to assess the aftermath of the attack.
This information underscores the serious lapses in security planning and response that contributed to the tragic events at the rally.
Mine Crypto. Earn $GOATS while it is free! Click Here!!