Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe held an impromptu press briefing Friday to discuss findings from the agency's "mission assurance" investigation into the first attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on July 13 in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
"In today's hyperdynamic threat environment, the mission of the Secret Service is clear: we cannot afford to fail," Rowe said.
The investigation into the security parameters surrounding the first attempt on Trump's life is "nearing completion," Rowe announced, calling the planning and response "a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service."
"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.
Rowe disclosed some of the probe's discoveries:
- "The Secret Service did not give clear guidance or direction to our local law enforcement partners."
- There were communication deficiencies between law enforcement personnel at the site.
- For example, the Secret Service did not co-locate its security room with local law enforcement.
- "There was an overreliance on mobile devices, resulting in information being siloed."
- For example, at approximately 18:10 local time, the Secret Service informed personnel that local police were addressing an issue at the 3 o'clock position of the outer perimeter. At approximately 18:10 local time, via phone call, the Secret Service security room called the counter-sniper response agent reporting an individual on the roof of the AGR building. "That vital piece of information was not relayed over the Secret Service radio network."
- At approximately 18:10 and 54 seconds, verified through body-camera footage of local law enforcement, officers confronted Thomas Matthew Crooks on the roof of the AGR building. At 18:11:05, via phone call, the site agent called the assistant site agent to find out what exactly was going on at the 3 o'clock position, and during that call, shots rang out.
- At 18:11:32, verified through body-camera footage, the first series of shots were fired by Crooks.
- At 18:11:36, the shooter fired a second series of shots.
- At 18:11:47, Secret Service counter-snipers neutralized the active shooter.
- "With respect to diligence, line-of-sight issues were acknowledged but not properly mitigated. Issues were encountered the day of the visit with respect to line-of-sight concerns, but they were not escalated to supervisors."
- "While some members of the advance team were very diligent, there was complacency on the part of others that led to a breach of security protocols."
- "With respect to accountability, the mission assurance review has identified deficiencies in the advanced planning and its implementation by Secret Service personnel."
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Now, they're moving into the "accountability phase of this process," as the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Integrity are reviewing the agency's findings.
"This agency has among the most robust table of penalties in the entirety of the federal government, and violations of policy will result in disciplinary action," Rowe added.
However, Rowe declined to say how many Secret Service staffers were under consideration for punishment or at which level of the agency they worked. "It's a personnel matter that is still pending," Rowe said. "I have not asked for anyone to retire."
Rowe vowed, "Employees will be held accountable!"
While July 13 was "a failure," Rowe countered, "We're not proud of it, but we certainly have been rising to this moment. The men and women in the field are rising to this moment. They're working tirelessly to make sure that the people we protect are safe."
Rowe then suggested that they're eyeing operational changes following Sunday's second attempt to assassinate the 2024 Republican presidential nominee at the Trump International Golf Club.
"As a result of these failures, what has become clear to me is we need a shift in paradigm in how we conduct our operations," Rowe said. "As was demonstrated on Sunday in West Palm Beach, the threat level is evolving and requires this paradigm shift."
Asked if his highest-level protectees will now need to "campaign differently" and in how they live their daily lives like taking trips to golf courses, Rowe told news reporters at the agency's headquarters that it's on the Secret Service to secure a safe environment.
Sunday's assassination attempt showed "the threat environment is tremendous," Rowe said.
"The threat is not weaning," Rowe said. "The threat is not going to evaporate any time soon."
The presidential protection agency plans to significantly expand its security perimeter around protectees, which will require additional resources, such as more manpower and increased use of technology, Rowe said. This will switch the Secret Service from "a state of reaction to a state of readiness."
The Secret Service released a five-page summary of the internal inquiry's findings so far. The full report is not yet published.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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