John Jefferson
Lawmakers on the House task force investigating the attempted assassinations of former President Trump left their first hearing Thursday fuming at the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), making clear that Acting Director Ronald Rowe has even more questions to answer.
The panel heard from a former USSS agent as well as local and state law enforcement officials who were present at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where one attendee was killed and Trump himself was shot in the ear.
“I counted, I think, in the brief five or six minutes that I had, seven different ways in which they could have eliminated that threat, and they didn’t do it,” task force member Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “Which is really just so shocking, because I thought the Secret Service was the premier protective agency in the world, and clearly they’re not.”
Multiple lawmakers indicated tht they are looking to hear from Acting USSS Director Ronald Rowe again, particularly after Congress recently allocated $230 billion in additional funding for the agency.
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“There are plans to have Acting Director Rowe in to really—I would like to have their internal investigation complete. And then also what I think all of us are looking for, the American people as well, is some accountability,” said task force member Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla.
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., the top Democrat on the panel, said lawmakers were frustrated, but he made clear that it was not aimed at Thursday’s witnesses.
“It was the fault of the Secret Service, because the Secret Service is ultimately responsible for the protection at events like that. They did not do their job. They did not provide the clarity and the guidance to local law enforcement. That was pretty clear to me,” Crow told reporters.
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During the first portion of the hearing, witnesses and lawmakers repeatedly signaled that a lack of clear communication of security plans from the USSS helped lead to a 20-year-old gunman being able to open fire on the rally from a rooftop just outside the security perimeter.
As lawmakers fumed about USSS shortfalls that allowed the fatal incident to occur, however, drama also played out behind the scenes, with Democrats on the task force apparently feeling blindsided by the GOP majority inviting two House Republicans to testify.
“This isn’t the way it should work,” one source familiar with task force Democrats’ discussions told Fox News Digital.
A second person explained their thinking, “All of us, in my understanding, have a very bipartisan and sober approach to this . . . we weren’t notified that this was going to be part of the process until late last night, and we feel like that’s not how we should conduct ourselves.”
The hearing saw two panels testify. The first group, which included the law enforcement witnesses, took up the majority of lawmakers’ time.
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Democrats were absent for the second portion, testimony from Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., and Cory Mills, R-Fla. The two Republicans, both military veterans with sniper experience, have been conducting their own “parallel” investigation into the shooting.
A third source familiar with the panel’s Democratic minority said that their leadership was not informed of Crane and Mills’ testimony until late Wednesday afternoon. Some Democratic lawmakers were not informed until Thursday morning, however.
“We did not receive notice of the second panel until late yesterday. We didn’t have an opportunity to present our own witnesses,” Crow said when asked about Mills and Crane.
“[Task Force Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa.] and I are still very committed to having this be bipartisan, consensus-based, and it’s my hope that we can return to that . . . approach going forward.”
Kelly similarly told reporters that this would not impede the task force’s bipartisan mission.
Waltz largely deferred to Kelly when asked about the discord but added, “From my perspective, we have a lot of expertise, and the more eyes on this, the better.”
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