Secret Service ‘Cannot Defend’ How Shooter Got Close to Trump: Official

Secret Service 'Cannot Defend' How Shooter Got Close to Trump
Secret Service 'Cannot Defend' How Shooter Got Close to Trump. Credit | CNN

United States: The acting director of the Secret Service has stated recently that he “cannot defend” the reason how the shooter attempted to kill former President Donald Trump managed to reach the roof amid security.

More about the news

That will be Tuesday before the two Senate committees where Rowe is testifying. Rowe says that he recently went to the place in Pennsylvania where the shooting took place and can say that he felt shameful there.

Also testifying is the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s second official.

Senate lawmakers are questioning the officials on the shortcomings of police before the attempt on Trump’s life in one of the latest congressional hearings on the shooting, as AP News reported.

More about the acting director of the agency

Rowe was placed as the acting director of the agency last week when Kimberly Cheatle stepped down after she was criticized by members of the House and was unable to answer pointed questions about the lack of communication that led up to the July 13 shooting.

Rower has been joined as the FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate at a joint hearing of the Senate committees on the Judiciary and Homeland Security.

What other officials are stating?

According to Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, “If this happened in the military, a lot of people would be fired,” and, “And if a lot of people are not fired, the system failed yet again,” as AP News reported.

Moreover, he added: “Nothing’s going to change until somebody loses their job.”

The hearing occurred a day after the FBI disclosed and published new findings of the shooter’s search related to mass shootings, that the 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks had looked for information about mass shootings, power plants, improvised explosive devices, as well as the May assassination attempt of the Slovakian premier.

The FBI also added that Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has agreed to be interrogated by the agents as a crime victim.

The bureau disclosed last week that the former president had suffered what appeared to be the impact of a bullet or fragment of one on the ear.

On Monday evening, Trump said that he expected that particular interview to be conducted on Thursday.

However, most of the questions on Tuesday are likely to be chasing Rowe as legislators seek to know how Crooks managed to get near Trump.

Authorities think that Crooks took aim and shot at Trump, with eight shots fired from an AR-style rifle after climbing up a building that was around 135 meters or 147 yards away from where Trump was giving a speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.

One of the rally attendants was killed, and the other two were injured. A counter-sniper of a Secret Service officer then shot down Crook.