Several members of the Senate who met with Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe in a closed-door hearing reported that they were shocked by the security failures that surrounded the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a rally two months ago.
Trump was fired upon at an event in Butler County, Pennsylvania, but he turned his head at the last moment and the bullet meant for his skull nicked his ear. Lawmakers from both parties reported on Thursday that the Secret Service would release an interim report in the near future about the incident.
Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal informed the media that the “American people will be shocked, astonished, and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures of the Secret Service in this assassination attempt of a former president.” He also expressed disdain over the “failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank as it should be to them in terms of providing information.”
Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson said that his colleagues voiced “some frustration” with the performance of Rowe, who has made “the commitment to provide more information.” Kentucky Republican Senator Rand Paul noted that the forthcoming interim report will include “very specific errors that were made” by the Secret Service as they failed to protect Trump.
“To me, it’s still inexcusable that a guy for ninety minutes before a rally has a rangefinder and you don’t stop the proceeding,” Paul added in reference to the would-be assassin.
Officials with the Secret Service have admitted that the shooter “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” raising questions as to why the position was not secured. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after the attempted assassination, during which one rally attendee was killed and two others were injured.