Senators grill new Secret Service chief at Trump assassination attempt hearing

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.

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.

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."

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. 

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.

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."

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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 told senators that to address the "complex challenge" of radio interoperability between federal and local agencies, the Secret Service relies on a security room, where there are representatives from local agencies who will bring their own radio and relay relevant information that would impact the agency's security plan.

Regarding the rally, Rowe said there was a Secret Service unified command post with a security room, but said communications at the site were "challenging," as there were cellular and radio issues.

Abbate was then asked about whether the gunman took any action in the lead-up to the shooting that would've caused alarm for federal or local law enforcement. He said Crooks did not have any interaction before the attack, and the FBI hasn't found any information that would've led to it or the Secret Service being alerted.

Abbate also revealed there was a meeting between the Secret Service and FBI in the days before the rally, where they discussed whether there was any intelligence or information about threats against the rally or Trump or anyone else there.

"There was an absence of that in the lead-up," he said. "None of us had any information or holdings with regard to the ultimate shooter."

Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, asked how vetting from experienced supervisors of every site's security plans would help prevent attacks going forward. 

Rowe said having "many eyes" helps prevent "tunnel vision," saying it's important at the field office and detail level to implement the new protocol for additional scrutiny from supervisors.

"I think having that collaboration and having additional eyes to examine the problem will make sure that we're not missing anything," Rowe said. 

When asked about the Secret Service's communication plan with Congress and the American people, Rowe pledged to be transparent. 

"My view is that sunshine is the best disinfectant," Rowe said. "We intend to provide information to Congress as it carries out its oversight function."

Adding to the earlier line of questioning about the connectivity issues, Rowe said he had "no explanation" for the cellular bandwidth problems and how they delayed the agency's ability to locate the gunman well in advance of the attack. He added that moving forward, the agency is working to improve connectivity.

Pressed by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Rowe told senators that the Secret Service has provided additional resources for Mar-a-Lago, Trump's South Florida residence. 

He said the agency has made "significant investments" since Trump left office in January 2021, including more than $4 million in technology and resources.

Rowe also refuted a report published Tuesday from the news outlet RealClearPolitics that claimed he played a role in limiting resources for Trump, calling it "false."

Asked by Democratic Sen. Laphonza Butler of California about how the gunman was able to get a rifle onto the roof, Abbate said the FBI doesn't have definitive evidence yet, but "we do believe he likely had it in the backpack."

Abbate said based on the size of the rifle, it would have been visible sticking out of the backpack, but he said the bureau hasn't heard from anyone who observed that happening.

The deputy director said there is video of the gunman that suggests the shooter returned to his car just before the shooting to retrieve the backpack, before traversing the roof with the backpack in front of him. He was then seen with the rifle on the roof. Abbate added that it's possible the gunman broke the rifle down and reassembled it on the roof, which is one of the theories they're looking into. 

The FBI previously said the gun had a collapsible stock.

Rowe provided senators with a breakdown of the federal, state and local law enforcement who were at the rally on July 13.

He said there were 155 personnel total at the site, including Secret Service personnel "in the 70s" and support from Homeland Security Investigations, the law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security.

There were roughly 70 law enforcement from Pennsylvania state and local departments, Rowe said.

Asked about the drone Crooks flew in the area of the rally several hours before he opened fire, Rowe said the drone worked because there were no counter unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, present.

The acting director said that on the day of the shooting, the Secret Service's counter-UAS system had "technical difficulties" and did not become operational until after 5 p.m. 

The FBI has said Crooks flew his drone between 3:50 p.m. and 4 p.m. for roughly 11 minutes.

When asked by Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, about why Trump was able to take the stage when a suspicious person had been identified, Rowe said at that time "suspicion had not risen to the level of threat or imminent harm."

Rowe explained that it's a challenge for law enforcement in general to determine what an individual's intentions are after they exhibit suspicious behavior. 

"Without additional information at that point, we're not rising to the level yet where perhaps we should pull him off or delay him," Rowe said. 

When asked about the Secret Service's effectiveness and reliance on local partners, Rowe returned to his statement about a failure "to challenge our assumptions."

"We assumed that the state and locals had it," Rowe added, saying the agency assumed that there would be a uniform presence and sufficient eyes to cover the area. "I can assure you that we're not going to make that mistake again."

"Those assumptions can be lethal," Cornyn replied. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, noted that lawmakers have requested a number of documents from the agencies, and have received just a "handful so far." He asked Rowe to commit to a timeline for transmitting the documents, and Rowe said they will work to meet a deadline of this week. 

Blumenthal pressed Rowe over accessing the communications that agents have sent to one another, saying "eventually all of it is going to come out." Rowe said the agency will gather the communications and provide them to Congress. 

During an exchange with Blumenthal about the various security responsibilities at the rally and the local snipers in place near the roof of the AGR building, Rowe said the buck "stops with us."

But he explained that the local sniper team stationed nearby had a better view of the roof.

"Their perspective from the AGR building looking out, their area of responsibility, looking left, they should've been able to see," he said.

Rowe continued: "I'm not saying that they should've neutralized him but if they would've just held their post and looked left, maybe — and there's a lot of maybes there  … maybe he would've been detected."

Asked later by Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Democrat from Georgia, about the communications failures, Rowe questioned why information about Crooks wasn't filtered through the Secret Service's unified command.

"Apparently not having that real-time information is what really hindered us in being able to understand more than it was just the locals working an issue at the 3 o'clock," he said. "It was actually a little bit something more urgent than that."

Pressed by Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, about why Trump wasn't removed from the stage after rally attendees were shouting about a man with a gun on the roof, Rowe said the Secret Service didn't have information beyond that local officers were "working an issue at the 3 o'clock."

"No information regarding a weapon on the roof was ever passed to our personnel," he said.

Rowe said that information was shared in local law enforcement channels but didn't "cross over and make it to Secret Service awareness."

In a heated exchange, Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, pressed Rowe about the individual who determined that the AGR building should be left outside of the security perimeter, urging that the individual should be relieved of duty. Rowe said they are still cooperating with an investigation and the agency would let it play out. 

"Senator, you're zeroing in on one particular agent, I want to find out exactly what was the decision process," Rowe said, saying he wanted to remain neutral until they can determine who may have "exercised bad judgment."

"My question is, why don't you relieve everybody of duty who made bad judgment?" Hawley continued. "I'm trying to find somebody who's accountable here."

Hawley ran down a list of individuals who may have made key decisions before the attack, repeatedly asking whether they had been relieved from duty by the agency. 

"What more do you need to investigate to know that there were critical enough failures that some individuals ought to be held accountable?" Hawley pressed. 

Rowe explained that he needs to know the extent of what happened and let his investigators continue with their efforts, saying that Hawley is asking him to "make a rush to judgment about somebody failing."

"Sir, this could have been our Texas Schoolbook Depository. I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have," Rowe said, his voice rising. "And I will tell you, senator,  that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable with integrity, and not rush to judgment and [have] people unfairly persecuted."

Rowe did agree with Hawley on one point, saying "this was a failure and we will get to the bottom of it."

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, focused on reports that the Secret Service denied requests from Trump's security detail and campaign, and he lambasted the agency's leadership for overseeing what he said were "catastrophic security failures."

Regarding the rally in Butler, Rowe said "all assets requested were approved." But regarding media reports of other requests for assets, he said "there are times when assets were unavailable and not able to be filled, and those gaps were staffed with state and local law enforcement tactical assets."

The exchange between Cruz and Rowe then escalated, as the senator blamed the Biden administration for allegedly allowing politics to infect the Secret Service.

"Secret Service agents are not political," Rowe said.

Cruz then questioned why candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not granted Secret Service protection earlier in the campaign. Rowe said there is a process for a candidate to receive protection, which involves participation from Capitol Hill.

The Texas senator also raised claims that Secret Service resources were transferred from Trump's rally to an event in Pittsburgh on July 13 with first lady Dr. Jill Biden.

Rowe said that assertion is "not true," and said there was one agent at the local airport who handled both Trump's arrival and Jill Biden's.

The conversation then turned to the size of Trump's detail and President Biden's. Rowe said there is a difference between agents surrounding the sitting president and the former president, and Cruz accused the acting director of refusing to answer his questions about how many agents are assigned to Mr. Biden and Trump.

"I will get you that number so you can see it with your own eyes," Rowe said.

Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, continued a string of tense exchanges with Rowe, pointing to "multiple individual and institutional failures" on July 13, an employee shortage at the agency and its departure rate, saying "that tells me you either have a cultural problem or just gross incompetence."

Rowe refuted the characterization, urging that "we are dedicated to making sure that we don't have mission failure." He added that "of course we need more people — everybody does."

Asked about the online profile Abbate told senators about earlier in the hearing, the FBI deputy director said the account was just discovered and is being analyzed to verify the account belonged to the shooter, and that he made the comments.

If the FBI confirms the account belonged to Crooks, Abbate said it is the "first real indication where he is expressing what are described as extremist views and talking about political violence." 

During an exchange with GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, Abbate reiterated that Trump was struck in the ear with a bullet.

"There is absolutely no doubt in the FBI's mind whether former President Trump was hit with a bullet and wounded in the ear," he said. "No doubt. There never has been."

Kennedy asked whether it was a space laser, murder hornet or sasquatch that hit Trump. Abbate said no to each.

"It was a bullet," he said.

The focus on what struck the former president arose after FBI Director Chris Wray suggested during testimony last week that there was "some question" about whether Trump was hit by a bullet or shrapnel. The FBI confirmed in a statement Friday that what struck the former president was a bullet, "whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces," fired from Crooks' gun.

The Secret Service chief outlined the agency's understanding of the gunman, comparing the shooter to the man who tried to shoot President Ronald Reagan in 1981. 

"We have an individual who's a loner, we have an individual who was focused on Donald Trump and Joe Biden," Rowe said, noting that Reagan's would-be shooter had also followed former President Jimmy Carter during the campaign.

"We have people that are, for whatever reason, fixated on carrying out an attack against the president of the United States or one of our protectees," Rowe said. 

In this case, the gunman was a loner who had researched the Democratic National Convention, President Biden and Trump, Rowe said.

"And so I think he had moved toward an idea that he was going to try to do something," Rowe said. 

Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, questioned why a range finder, which the gunman was seen carrying at the rally, is not on the list of items that are prohibited to attend Trump's campaign events.

Rowe said that it is not on the list, "but we're going to make that change."

Cotton then turned to threats from Iran against Trump and other former officials from his administration, who have Secret Service protection because of the threat environment. He asked why former national security adviser Robert O'Brien's protective detail was removed.

Rowe said O'Brien was a "memorandum protectee," meaning the president authorized protection for him.

"We do not weigh in on who gets protection," he said. 

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, asked Abbate about the online account that he told senators had been discovered by the FBI and is believed to be associated with Crooks. Comments left by the account, if written by Crooks, reflected antisemitic and anti-immigration views, Abbate said earlier in the hearing. He declined to name the account or the platform, since the FBI hasn't verified it belonged to Crooks.

Blackburn said that another account on the platform Gab that appears to be tied to Crooks expressed "pro-immigration, pro-lockdown leftist views." Gab is a far-right social media platform that has been used by people expressing extremist views.

"From what I've been told, that is accurate," Abbate said. "Though that's been publicly revealed through the CIO and other things, we're still working to certify and verify that that's his account. But it does have differing points of view, it would appear."

Abbate said the comments left by the Gab account appear to have been posted in 2021, and the other postings from the social media account would have preceded that.

He said the FBI is waiting for returns from other companies, including social media companies, for information it has sought from them.

Peters wrapped the hearing by pointing to some discrepancies between the testimony of the agency leaders and what lawmakers have heard from local law enforcement on the ground. He said that Congress now needs to speak with Secret Service agents who were directly involved, making clear that the Rowe must make the individuals available as soon as possible.

"Time is of the essence when memories are fresh," Peters said, asking the Secret Service chief to commit to having the agents available to interview before the committee in a matter of days. Rowe agreed. 

"Certainly the American people deserve to know what went wrong and they deserve accountability for those security failures," Peters said. "We'll continue working to follow the facts, get clear answers, and make important recommendations to ensure that a security failure like this never happens again."