Senators are accusing the Secret Service of trying to scapegoat local police for the Trump rally shooting after the agency’s acting director testified this week about why the Butler, Pennsylvania, shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, wasn’t found earlier.
In his testimony before Congress on Tuesday, Ronald Rowe appeared to blame local police for not seeing Crooks on the roof of the building where he ultimately opened fire. But on Wednesday, the Butler County district attorney disputed Rowe’s testimony, telling Fox News that local snipers were not watching the roof.
“I think they’re looking for a scapegoat,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, told The Washington Times after Rowe’s testimony.
“This is a lot of CYA. [cover your a–] “That’s how it feels,” added Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri).
District Attorney Butler said local snipers were not responsible for the rooftop shooter.
Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Rowe testified to senators on Tuesday, July 30, about security at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP/Rod Lamkey Jr.)
As part of his testimony, Rowe showed senators a photo of the roof of the building that Crooks climbed onto before firing at former President Trump.
“This was taken from the second floor of the building, where the local counter-sniper team was positioned,” he said. “The gold arrow shows where the shooter fired from. Look to the left, why don’t you see him? When we were told the building was going to be covered, there was a meet and greet that afternoon and our team leader met with him.”
Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger told Fox News the next day that he had coordinated local snipers operating at the July 13 rally, and that they were manned at windows with different vantage points than the ones Rowe indicated during his testimony.
Goldinger added that it was not the local snipers’ role to monitor the roof of the AGR building where Crooks was stationed and opened fire.
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Two FBI agents are searching the roof of the AGR International building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds where Matthew Thomas Crooks opened fire on former President Trump on July 13. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)
Holly He told The Washington Times He said he has heard different stories from whistleblowers on both sides and that “they are blaming each other.”
“What I heard yesterday was a lot of people trying to litigate who was really at fault. ‘It really wasn’t our fault. It wasn’t that bad,'” Hawley said Wednesday of Rowe’s comments.
“The Secret Service is victimizing local law enforcement,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told The Washington Times. [is] Not only is it unfair, it is also unwise.”
“If we place the blame on local police when something goes wrong, it will be difficult to get their cooperation,” he reportedly added.
Meanwhile, Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) said he would reserve a final decision until the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chairs, has interviewed all those involved in the shooting at the rally, according to the Washington Times.
Testimony by Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe has faced scrutiny from Pennsylvania senators and local officials. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
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“At the moment, in my opinion, [the] “The Secret Service should have realized how strategically important that rooftop was in terms of potential threats,” he was quoted as saying.
Fox News’ Christina Coulter and CB Cotton contributed to this report.
