Secret Service, FBI Leaders Testify About Trump Shooter and Security Failures

Ronald Rowe, the new acting director of the Secret Service, told senators he was “ashamed” of the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump as he and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate testified Tuesday.

The Details: Rowe said the Secret Service’s counter drone system was down for two hours before the rally due to a connectivity issue, and he wondered if earlier surveillance could have detected and deterred Thomas Matthew Crooks from shooting Trump. He added that the Secret Service did not know Crooks had a gun until he started shooting and noted a communication breakdown between his agency and local law enforcement. 

For Context: Previous investigations found that the Secret Service and local police were monitoring Crooks as a suspicious person an hour before the shooting but lost sight of him. Abbate testified that the FBI has not identified any motives for the shooting, but found a social media account they believe belonged to Crooks. The account posted antisemitic and anti-immigrant comments “to espouse political violence,” Abbate said.

How the Media Covered It: Sources from the left highlighted the emotional tone of Rowe’s testimony and interactions with senators, and his response to calls for accountability. The New York Post (Lean Right bias) reported on calls from a Secret Service counter-sniper and Senate Republicans to fire Secret Service administrators. The Washington Times (Lean Right) and Townhall (Right) focused on how Crooks flew his own drone over the site two hours before the rally while the Secret Service counter drones were not working.