A shouting match erupted Thursday during the final House task force hearing on possible Secret Service security lapses during two attempted assassinations of President-elect Donald Trump as he campaigned this summer.
During Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe’s testimony, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, showed a photo of Rowe standing next to Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and Trump at a 9/11 memorial in the fall.
Fallon accuse Rowe of taking the place of an agent who was in charge of handling security for the event.
“Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes!” Rowe shouted as he responded to Fallon
Fallon yelled back, “Do you know why you were there? Because you wanted to be visible because you’re auditioning for this job.”
Fallon also took Rowe to task for taking nine days to visit the attempted assassination site in Butler, Pa.
During the exchange with Fallon, Rowe said, “I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center. I was there congressman — I was there to show respect for a Secret Service member that died on 9/11.”
Rowe told Fallon, “You are out of line, congressman. Way out of line.”
Some agents had privately criticized Rowe for attending the memorial positioned so close to Biden, Trump and Harris because they worried it would confuse the chain of campaign in the event of an incident.
In Rowe’s opening remarks at the hearing, he said the Secret Service had identified failures by multiple employees that warranted disciplinary action.
Rowe also explained in detail actions the agency has taken to bolster its security protocols.
The House task force investigating the Donald Trump assassination attempts earlier this year held its final hearing Thursday.
Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe testified at the hearing chaired by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa.
Kelly said during Rowe’s testimony that the Secret Service made every employee the panel wanted to speak with available, adding the agency chose “a path of cooperation in pursuit of the truth.”
Trump was grazed in the ear by a shot fired by a would-be assassin at a Butler, Pa. campaign rally July 13. The shooter was killed at the scene after wounding Trump and killing a man attending the rally.
A man was charged for a second perceived attempt on Sept. 15 when Secret Service agents spotted a rifle barrel in bushes at the perimeter of Trump’s Florida golf course.
The bipartisan House panel created earlier this year is preparing to wrap up its investigation.
House members will make recommendations based on its investigation findings to try to prevent future attacks.
Kimberly Cheatle, Secret Service director when the assassination attempts happened, resigned under intense scrutiny.
Rowe’s Thursday testimony is his first appearance before the House task force. Earlier testimony came from local law enforcement and a former Secret Service agent.
The House task force consists of seven Republicans and six Democrats. Its final report on the investigation will be written in coming weeks.
An interim report was released in October that said the July attempt was “preventable.” The interim report said communication failures allowed the gunman to get up onto a roof and evade law enforcement where he fired eight shots. (UPI)
