Washington — Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe will testify Thursday before the bipartisan House Task Force investigating the assassination attempts on newly elected President Donald Trump, as the panel prepares to conclude its investigation into the incidents that sent shockwaves through the US. country in the run-up to the presidential elections. presidential elections.
The panel, which is the House of Representatives voted to establish was tasked earlier this year with investigating the security issues surrounding Trump’s July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the foiled attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 15. Lawmakers will also make recommendations to prevent future attacks. Thursday’s hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. on Capitol Hill.
The Secret Service came under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the first attack, and its then-director, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned in July after a nail-biting day of testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Rowe’s testimony on Thursday marks his first public appearance before the task force, which heard testimony from local law enforcement officials and a former Secret Service agent during a hearing earlier this year. Rowe appeared before other congressional committees after taking control of the agency.
The panel, made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats, is expected to submit a report on its findings in the coming weeks. After Thursday’s hearing, the panel will hold a business meeting to discuss the final report, the task force said.
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The committee has a Interim report of 53 pages in October focused on the July 13 incident and deemed it “preventable” while outlining shortcomings in communication and planning. The investigation “clearly demonstrates a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and its law enforcement partners,” the task force said at the time, noting that the findings were preliminary.
Trump was speaking at a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13 when a gunman opened fire, with a bullet grazing the former president’s ear. Secret Service snipers shot the gunman deadidentified as 20 years old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The panel outlined in the interim report that “fragmented lines of communication” allowed the gunman to “evade law enforcement,” climb onto the roof of a nearby building and fire eight shots. The report alleges that “federal, state, and local law enforcement officers could have engaged Thomas Matthew Crooks at several critical times.”
The task force also alleged in the report that responsibilities were not “effectively” confirmed by the Secret Service with local partners prior to the shooting. Witnesses who took part in a tour of the area days before the assassination attempt called it disorganized.
When the interim report was released, the panel said it had received relevant information from other House committees, conducted 23 transcribed interviews with witnesses from state and local agencies, and obtained evidence in response to three subpoenas to federal, state – and local authorities. The panel also visited last month subpoenas issued to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for testimony from two ATF employees.
The panel also sought information from federal agencies about the September 15 incident. On that day, Trump was playing golf at his West Palm Beach golf course when the Secret Service arrested a man with an AK-47 style weapon who was within a few hundred yards of the president-elect. The man, Ryan Wesley Routhhas been accused of attempted murder of a political figure in addition to the gun charges.
