Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. got into a heated exchange on Tuesday during a hearing focused on the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the July 13 shooting of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving Rowe Jr. as acting director. One rally goer was also killed and two others critically wounded during the shooting.
Hawley spent his time questioning Rowe Jr. on Tuesday mainly focused on the fact that no one had been fired or held “accountable” for security failures that day. Rowe Jr. repeatedly told Hawley an investigation into the shooting is ongoing as the senator pushed for “accountability” for specific failures, like not properly securing the roof from which the shooter fired at Trump and the rally.
“What more do you need to investigate to know that there were critical enough failures that some individuals ought to be held accountable? I mean, what more do you need to know?” Hawley asked.
“What I need to know is exactly what happened and I need my investigators to do their job and I cannot —” Rowe Jr. said as Hawley offered a response.
“A lot of people didn’t do their jobs,” he said.
“And I cannot put my thumb on the scale, otherwise —” Rowe Jr. continued before Hawley jumped back in.
“What do you mean, put your thumb on the scale?” Hawley asked.
“You’re asking me, senator, to completely make a rush to judgment about someone failing. I acknowledged this was a failure,” Rowe Jr. shot back.
“A former president was shot!” Hawley yelled.
The Secret Service chief became emotional as he declared that the Trump shooting could have been “our school book depository,” referring to John F. Kennedy being shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald from a book depository window in Texas.
“Sir, this could have been our school book depository. I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days just like you have!” Rowe Jr. said.
Hawley pushed back, insisting the Secret Service “fire somebody and hold them accountable.”
“I’ll tell you, senator, that I will not rush to judgment, that people will be held accountable and I will do so with integrity and not rush to judgment and [make] people unfairly persecuted,” Rowe Jr. said.
“Unfairly persecuted?!” an incensed Hawley exclaimed.
“Unfairly, sir!” Rowe Jr. yelled.
“We’ve got people who are dead!” Hawley said.
Rowe Jr. continued to insist a thorough and fair investigation is taking place, and it would be irresponsible to point blame before those findings.
“I don’t really care much about your protocols,” Hawley said. “I think if your protocols don’t provide for the fact that when a former president is shot, when an American is killed, when other rally goers — innocent people who just showed up on the day — when they are shot at and critically wounded, if that isn’t a protocol violation… you should revise your protocols.”
Rowe Jr. said the failure in protocol is somewhere the two “agree.”
“This was a failure and we will get to the bottom of it,” he said.
“Well, I hope you’re going to do something about it,” Hawley replied.
Watch above via CNN.
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