Veteran journalist Catherine Herridge, known for her reporting on Capitol Hill, recently drew attention to comments from the acting chief of the Secret Service last week. While being questioned before Congress, United States Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe, Jr., seemingly suggested in an “incomprehensible” admission pertaining to a drone that was used by Thomas Matthew Crooks, the failed assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The remarks were made during Rowe’s testimony before a joint Senate committee that is investigating the appalling failure in security protocols that led to a barrage of gunfire from Crooks, with one shot grazing former President Donald Trump’s ear millimeters from killing him. Following the incident, there has been bipartisan condemnation of the apparent incompetence seen in the presidential security agency.
During the hearing, Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) asked if local authorities had “no way of communicating with the Secret Service” or counter-security forces for at least 30 seconds before Crooks was officially reported on the roof that overlooked the podium where Trump was speaking. Rowe said, “Senator, if we’d had that information they’d have been able to address it more quickly. It appears that that information was stuck or siloed in that state or local channel.”
The acting director continued, “It is troubling to me that we did not get that information as quickly as we should have. We didn’t know that there was this incident going on, and the only thing we had was, locals were working on an issue at the 3 o’clock, which was to the president’s right which was where the shot came. Nothing about the man on the roof, nothing about a man with a gun, none of that information ever made it over our net.”
Furthermore, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) addressed reports that Crooks had utilized a drone in his plan to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate. “Do you have the capacity to stop a weaponized drone?” The director’s answer seemed to suggest that the Secret Service’s capacity to mitigate the threat of drones was more “limited” that anticipated.
Rowe answered, “What I will tell you, sir, is that we have technical security measures that we utilize that permanently protective sites. We also have the ability, in a limited fashion, at temporary sites. What I can tell you is that on this day, the counter UAS system had technical difficulties and did not go operational until after five o’clock.”
Sen. Cornyn followed up, illustrating the potential threat that drone technology poses, where a firearm might not even be necessary. “So in this case, the shooter had a rifle. But somebody who wanted to kill a president, for former president or candidate for President, would not need a rifle. They could use a drone.” Rowe affirmed, “Correct it is a potential threat vector.”
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Watch the hearing below:
Following the Secret Service’s failure to sufficiently protect former President Trump from the attempted assassination last month, the agency has faced intense scrutiny. In the wake of the Butler, Pennsylvania rally shooting last month, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her leadership position.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.