Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Lowe has defended his decision not to fire agents involved in planning and responding to the assassination attempt on former President Trump, saying he “didn’t want to rush into judgment.”
Many lawmakers questioned why the agents were not relieved from their duties during the heated exchanges with the acting chief.
Clashing under heated questioning from Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, Rowe said he “couldn’t shake the situation” and “we need to wait until the investigation is over.”
Hawley called for the firing of several Secret Service agents, from those who approved the security plan to those who failed to remove Trump from the stage despite warnings about suspicious people.
“The fact that a former president was shot, a good American died and other Americans were seriously injured is enough of a failure of duty to say that whoever decided that this building should not be a security zone should resign?” Hawley said, referring to the AGR building where Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot.
Rowe said the investigators involved are cooperating with the internal investigation.
“I’m a neutral party and I want to get to the bottom of it, interview everyone and see if there were multiple individuals who made a mistake,” Mr Lowe said, adding that he did not want to “pinch it to one or two people”.
Hawley repeatedly argued there was “prima facie” evidence that the Secret Service failed.
“You’ve been on the job for a few days now. You haven’t fired anyone,” Hawley complained.
Midway through the exchange, Rowe became emotional.
“Like you, I’ve been losing sleep over the last 17 days about it, and I will tell you, Senator, I will not jump to judgment, I will hold people accountable, I will act with integrity, I will not jump to judgment, I will not let people suffer,” he said. [out there to be] They are being unfairly persecuted,” Lowe said.
“Have they been unjustly persecuted?” Hawley responded. “Some have died.”
“You said earlier that we have to make sure the rules are being followed, but unless there is a violation of the rules, there will be no disciplinary action,” Hawley said.
“I just want to say, I’m not too concerned about your protocols.”
On July 13, an assassination attempt occurred against President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, leaving one person dead and two injured.
