Chairman Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is among the senators questioning acting U.S. Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jr. about the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Tuesday. File Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI |
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July 30 (UPI) — Acting U.S. Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jr. is testifying Tuesday on the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13.
Senators from the judiciary and homeland security committees are taking part in the hearing, called the “Examination of the Security Failures Leading to the Assassination Attempt on Former President Trump.” The hearing will stream live at 10 a.m. EDT.
Rowe examined the site of the rally in Butler, Pa., and will report to the committee on his findings. Those findings are expected to be critical of how the site was secured, according to pre-disclosed testimony.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate will also testify.
One person was killed in the shooting and at least two more were injured.
Lawmakers will continue to press for more details on how the shooter — 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pa. — was able to post himself on an adjacent building and what his motive was.
Rowe was elevated to the role of acting director following the resignation of Kimberly Cheatle. She resigned after testifying to the House Oversight and Accountability Committee last week.
Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., wrote in a joint letter to Cheatle that she “failed to provide answers to basic questions regarding that stunning operational failure.” The letter called on her to resign.