The acting director of the Secret Service is promising accountability for what he called the agency's "abject failure" to secure the rally where a gunman opened fire on Donald Trump last summer during his presidential campaign.
Ronald Rowe is set to testify Thursday in front of a bipartisan House task force investigating how the Secret Service, which protects the highest echelon of American leaders, performed during two assassination attempts against Trump in two months. A portion of Rowe's remarks was released before the hearing.
The task force's inquiry is one of a series of investigations and reports into the July shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, that have faulted the troubled agency for planning and communications failures. Already, the fallout has included the resignation of the agency’s previous director and changes that increased Secret Service protections for Trump before he won the November election.
"It is essential that we recognize the gravity of our failure on July 13, 2024," Rowe says in prepared remarks. "Let me be clear, there will be accountability, and that accountability is occurring."
A separate independent panel investigating that assassination attempt has said the Secret Service needs new leadership and that "another Butler can and will happen again" without major changes in how candidates are protected. Trump was wounded in the ear, one rallygoer was killed, and two others were wounded.
Rowe said an internal investigation identified failures by multiple employees. He noted that advance work quality did not meet agency standards.
"It has been my singular focus to bring much needed reform to the Secret Service. To be an agent of change. To challenge previous assumptions," Rowe stated.
- The agency increased staff assigned to Trump and expanded its use of drone technology for high-level venue views.
- Secret Service personnel are required to coordinate with state and local law enforcement while protecting someone to avoid communication failures like those at Butler rally.
- Mental health programs are prioritized with a chief wellness officer hired this week due to stresses on agents protecting many individuals amid divisive politics.
This marks Rowe's first public address at such a hearing since being announced as acting director following Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation after intense scrutiny post-July shooting incident involving Trump.