Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. acknowledged several mistakes the agency made in the Pennsylvania Trump assassination attempt.
Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. acknowledged multiple security lapses, including local enforcement coordination and agency communication, during a Friday news conference addressing the agency’s “failure” in handling the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
“There was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols”, Rowe said early on, adding that “these employees will be held accountable.”
Rowe added: “Ultimately it is the Secret Service’s responsibility to secure a site.” He later added, “The Secret Service has the main responsibility of building the site plan. We cannot abdicate or defer our responsibilities to others.”
For campaign and political events, the Secret Service often coordinates with local and state enforcement agencies to secure the venues. On this end, Rowe said, “The Secret Service did not give clear guidance or direction to our local law enforcement partners (in Butler, Pennsylvania)”, later acknowledging that the Secret Service did not “co-locate its security room with law enforcement.
