Washington — Top officials with the U.S. Secret Service and FBI are testifying before two Senate committees Tuesday about the security lapses that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The joint hearing with FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate and Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe marks the third congressional proceeding in just over a week focused on the shooting at Trump's rally, where he and two others were injured, and one attendee was killed. Abbate and Rowe are testifying before members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and Judiciary Committee.
In his opening statement, Abbate revealed the FBI had discovered a social media account believed to belong to the shooter that left "extreme" comments online in 2019 and 2020, including comments that "appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes" and "espouse political violence."
The fallout from the July 13 attack led to the resignation of former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who announced her decision to step down from her post just one day after she faced sharp criticism from the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Rowe, the agency's deputy director, was appointed to temporarily lead the Secret Service.
The Secret Service has faced significant criticism in the wake of the attack, as questions have arisen as to how the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to gain access to a rooftop so close to where Trump was addressing the crowd of supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania. He was killed by a Secret Service sniper after firing eight rounds from the roof of a building belonging to AGR International, which was outside the security perimeter controlled by the agency.
Here's the latest from the hearing:
Secret Service chief calls the attack "a failure of imagination"
Asked by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, what exactly went wrong on July 13, Rowe said, "I think this was a failure of imagination."
"A failure to imagine that we actually do live in a very dangerous world where people do actually want to do harm to our protectees," he continued. "I think it was a failure to challenge our own assumptions, the assumptions that we know our partners are going to do everything that they can."
Rowe said the Secret Service didn't challenge its own assumptions about what would be covered and that there would be a uniform presence while working with local partners. He said moving forward, he's directed that the agency is very specific about "what we want" and their explicit expectations from partner agencies like local law enforcement who assist at events.
Rowe says information about shooter on roof was "stuck" in local communications challenge
Rowe detailed the breakdown in communication between the Secret Service and local police who were on hand at the rally to assist with security.
In response to a question from Peters about the time needed for the Secret Service to react before the gunman opened fire had they been aware he was on the roof, Rowe said if the agency would've had that information, they would've been able to address it quickly.
"It appears that that information was stuck or siloed in that state and local channel," he said.
Rowe added it is "troubling" that the Secret Service didn't get information about a suspicious person on the roof of the AGR building "as quickly as we should have."
He said Secret Service personnel on the ground only knew that local law enforcement were working "an issue" to the former president's right, "nothing about a man on the roof, nothing about a man with a gun, none of that information ever made it over our net."
Rowe said the Secret Service is working to address interoperability issues and to ensure agents have access to state and local communications challenges.
"That roof should've had better coverage and we will get to the bottom of if there were any policy violations," he said.
In dramatic testimony, Secret Service chief lays out views of gunman on the roof
Asked by Sen. Peters about a detailed site survey and how it was approved "when it was so clear that that was a major threat from that building," Rowe delivered dramatic testimony outlining the views of the gunman from where he was positioned on the roof.
"Why was the assailant not seen?" Rowe said as he pointed to an image depicting where the shooter fired from, as seen from a nearby building where police officers were stationed. "When we were told that building was going to be covered, that there had been a face-to-face that afternoon, that our team leads met — this was the view."
He also laid out the view that Secret Service counter-snipers closer to Trump would have had of the gunman, saying the shooter would have been mostly hidden from their view.
"This is what our counter-sniper team saw," Rowe said.
"Let me just tell you, this counter-sniper, this individual, I know him, I consider him a friend. He has covered me operationally in conflict zones and when I did my time on the president's detail," Rowe added. "He exemplifies the courage, skill and the ability to respond under great stress in such a short time to neutralize the threat and prevent further loss of life."
Rowe expressed confusion about how the shooter could have been unnoticed by police who had a better view of the roof.
"When I laid in that position I could not and I will not and I cannot understand why there was not better coverage, or at least somebody looking at that roofline, when that's where they were posted," Rowe said.
Graham tells Secret Service acting chief to "think big" when it comes to resources and funding
Graham focused many of his questions on the resources for the Secret Service and the encrypted messaging apps used by Crooks.
"Think big" when it comes to resources, Graham said. He later said his conclusion is partly that the Secret Service needs "more money and more people."
The South Carolina senator then asked about whether the FBI gained access to encrypted messaging apps used by Crooks.
Abbate said the FBI has experienced "a range of returns."
"We need a solution that provides lawful access to law enforcement," he said.
Durbin raises questions about security for Democratic National Convention next month
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, asked the witnesses whether the security plan for the upcoming Democratic National Convention would take "into consideration the lessons of July 13," to which both men replied that the plans would.
"That is 100% yes from the Secret Service," Rowe said.
Abbate added that the FBI has been working on the security plan for over a year in preparation.
The convention begins on Aug. 19 in Chicago.
FBI discovered social media account tied to shooter that left "extreme" comments
Toward the end of his statement, Abbate said the FBI had discovered a social media account "believed to be associated with the shooter" that left about 700 comments online in roughly 2019 and 2020.
"Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter, appear to reflect antisemitic and anti-immigration themes, to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature," he said. "While the investigative team is still working to verify this account to determine if it did in fact belong to the shooter, we believe it important to share and note it today, particularly given the general absence of other information to date from social media and other sources of information that reflect o the shooter's potential motive and mindset."
Abbate said FBI's investigation has not identified gunman's motive
Abbate, the FBI deputy director, told lawmakers that the bureau's investigation is focused on identifying Crooks' motive, determining whether he worked with any co-conspirators and building the timeline of his actions in the lead-up to the shooting.
Abbate also reiterated that Trump was struck by a bullet fired from Crooks' gun.
The investigation has not identified a motive or any co-conspirators, or other people with advanced knowledge of Crooks' plans, he said.
Abbate told senators the FBI has conducted 460 interviews, obtained search warrants for his residence and seized his electronic devices and related media. He said that Crooks' actions show "advanced planning and reconnaissance."
The FBI deputy director then ran through a timeline of events leading up to the shooting and said Crooks was first identified at 4:26 p.m. Twenty-five minutes before the shooting, the Secret Service's command was notified of a suspicious person.
Abbate said recently discovered video shows the shooter pulling himself up onto the roof of the AGR building at 6:06 p.m., and he was observed on the roof by local law enforcement two minutes later.
At 6:11 p.m., just before Crooks began firing, a local police officer was lifted to the roof, saw the shooter and radioed that he was armed with a "long gun," Abbate said.
Secret Service chief says what he saw in Butler "made me ashamed"
Rowe testified in his opening statement about the actions he's taken since being appointed acting director of the Secret Service, including traveling to the site of the shooting in Butler to gain a better understanding of how the Secret Service protection of Trump failed.
"What I saw made me ashamed," Rowe said, adding that he "cannot defend why that roof was not better secured."
Rowe outlined how every site's security plan will now be thoroughly vetted by multiple supervisors and other corrective actions the agency is taking to prevent future attacks, while revealing what the personnel on the grounds knew about the threat to Trump.
"Neither the Secret Service counter-sniper teams nor members of the former president's security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the AGR building with a firearm," Rowe said, explaining that they were unaware until they heard gunshots.
Rowe said the Secret Service counter-sniper who took out Crooks had "full discretion to use deadly force" to stop an attacker and did not need to seek authorization to fire.
Durbin raises concerns with "easy access" to AR-style firearms
Durbin, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, likened the assassination attempt to the plot of a fiction book and questioned how a 20-year-old was able to evade the Secret Service and fire at the former president and Republican presidential nominee.
"There's more to this story and other aspects that we ought to consider as well," Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said, raising concerns with what he said is the "widespread" and "easy access" to AR-style weapons.
Durbin's focus on the firearm used in the shooting and the need to combat gun violence echoed comments from House Democrats on the Judiciary and Oversight Committees during hearings last week.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Judiciary panel, also delivered brief remarks, in which he called for accountability.
"Somebody's got to be fired," the South Carolina senator said. "Nothing is going to change until somebody loses their job."
Paul says Trump attack was "monumental failure"
Sen. Rand Paul, the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, somberly recalled the events of July 13. He accused the media of "shamefully" moving on and said he was seeking answers about how the security failure occurred.
"There is no question that this was a monumental failure by the Secret Service," Paul said. "What remains unclear is who specifically failed, how they failed and what must be done to ensure that something like this never happens again."
Paul said investigators must now focus on why the roof and grounds were left unattended, and why Trump was allowed to take the stage.
"It is our duty and our utmost responsibility to ensure that we learn from this failure and hold those responsible accountable," he concluded.
Homeland Security committee chair calls security lapses "inexcusable" as hearing convenes
Sen. Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, kicked off the joint hearing with an opening statement, in which he decried the attack at Trump's rally and the security failures that allowed the gunman to gain access to the roof of the AGR building and fire eight rounds before he was killed.
"This was an attack on our democracy. Americans should be able to attend a political rally and express their political beliefs without fear of violence," Peters said. "And political candidates for our nation's highest office should be confident their safety will never be compromised for their service."
The Michigan senator said the attack is a "shocking reminder" that the threat of political violence is "alive and well." He called the security and planning failures "inexcusable."
Peters said the committee still needs information from the Secret Service about the resources at the rally, including counter sniper teams, as well as what he called a "problematic" communications style.
Rowe will tell senators he "cannot defend" why roof of AGR building wasn't better secured
In his opening statement, Rowe will tell senators that one of his first actions after being appointed acting director of the Secret Service was to travel to the site of the shooting in Butler, when it was no longer a crime scene, to gain a better understanding of how the Secret Service protection of Trump failed.
He said he inspected the site and the AGR building and laid in a prone position to evaluate the gunman's line of site.
"What I saw made me ashamed," he will tell the committees, according to excerpts of his opening statement obtained by CBS News. "As a career law enforcement officer, and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured."
Cheatle told lawmakers on the Oversight Committee last week that she had not visited the site in Butler.
Rowe will reveal that to prevent similar security lapses from happening again, event site security plans will be thoroughly vetted by "multiple experienced supervisors" before they're put in place.
The acting director will also tell senators what other measures the Secret Service has implemented in the weeks since the shooting, including elevating the protective posture of those under its protection and reinforcing details "appropriately."
Rowe will say that the Secret Service is actively conducting threat assessments for each protectee and will continue to make adjustments based on those analyses. He will tell senators that the Secret Service has started protecting six more people, including Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance and his family and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
For the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Chicago, which kicks off Aug. 19, Rowe will tell senators that he will make sure protection there is "strong and effective."
Melissa Quinn and Nicole Sganga
What Wray told House lawmakers
Crooks' gun, an AR-style rifle, had a collapsible stock, and FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee last week that the feature may explain why the weapon was difficult for people to see.
Wray revealed several new details about the gunman's actions in the run-up to the attack, though he said the FBI still has not found a motive. Crooks became focused on Trump on July 6, one week before the shooting, and conducted a Google search on that day for "how far away was Oswald from Kennedy," a reference to President John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, according to Wray. Crooks also registered for the rally in Butler on July 6, the FBI leader said.
Wray revealed that Crooks flew a drone near the site of the rally roughly two hours before he opened fire. He said investigators recovered the drone in Crooks' vehicle, and the bureau believes he was watching video streamed from the device to scout the area.
The FBI chief also said agents recovered a total of three "relatively crude" explosive devices: two from Crooks' vehicle and one from his residence. Crooks had a transmitter that would have allowed him to detonate the devices in his car remotely, but the receivers on the bombs were turned off, Wray said.
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