Secret Service boss says vital info not relayed over radio, delaying response to would-be rally assassin
U.S. Secret Service (USSS) leaders are holding a 1 p.m. update on the agency's internal investigation following the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Acting Director Ronald Rowe said the agency had confirmed "communication deficiencies" that slowed its response when the gunman climbed up on a rooftop just outside the secure perimeter.
"For example, the Secret Service did not co-locate its security room with local law enforcement," he said. "There was an over-reliance on mobile devices, resulting in information being siloed."
He shared a timeline of events that showed communications were split between radio and phone, resulting in a delayed response to the initial alert that something was going on at the AGR building, within 150 yards of the former president.
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"At approximately 1810 local time, by a phone call, the Secret Service security room calls the counter sniper response agent, reporting an individual on the roof of the building," Rowe said. "That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service Radio network."
Local police, through their own separate radios, were alerted to Crooks roughly two minutes earlier.
When asked directly about who was responsible for security on the rooftop, Rowe said the Service hadn't given adequate guidance to local assets.
"There should have been clearer direction about what we needed done at the AGR building," he said.
In the aftermath of the shooting, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, and at least five people were placed on administrative duty as the investigation unfolded. Separate investigations are underway by the House and FBI.
Rowe described the Secret Service's preparation for the rally, during which gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, killed one spectator and injured two others while striking Trump in the ear, as "a failure."
The suspect had a clear line of sight of the former president from an unprotected rooftop about 150 yards away.
"In today’s hyperdynamic threat environment, the mission of the Secret Service is clear: we cannot afford to fail," Rowe said.
"It’s important that we hold ourselves to account for the failures of July 13 and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another mission failure like this again," Rowe said.
He said the agency is moving into "the accountability phase" – and actions are expected against officials who failed to secure the site.
Rowe declined to go into specifics about how many people would be disciplined or at what level of senior, but he disputed prior reporting that he had asked anyone to retire already.
"The Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Integrity are reviewing the findings," Rowe said. "This agency has among the most robust table of penalties in the federal government, and violations of policy will result in disciplinary action."
On Sunday, USSS thwarted a second assassination attempt, according to authorities.
An agent on Trump's protective detail was walking a few hundred yards ahead of him at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, when they saw a rifle barrel poking out of the tree line along the perimeter.
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Trump praised the agent who opened fire and caused the suspect to drop the gun and flee.
Deputies later arrested a man named Ryan Routh, who they say camped out next to the fence for nearly 12 hours with a loaded SKS, a digital video camera, food and other supplies before the agent spotted him.