In a startling revelation, the acting Director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe, acknowledged on Friday that the agency is to blame for the security lapse during a recent rally where an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump took place. Speaking at a press conference, Rowe emphasized that "this was a Secret Service failure" and expressed regret over the lack of surveillance on the rooftop from where shots were fired.

Rowe firmly stated that local police forces should not be held responsible for the security failures that led to the shooting incident on July 13th in Butler. He asserted, "In no way should any state or local agency supporting us be held responsible for our Secret Service failure." Rowe emphasized that every member within the Secret Service deeply feels the gravity of what transpired at Trump's rally and pledged to regain public trust.

Amid concerns about future campaign events, Rowe assured that regardless of whether an event is held indoors or outdoors, the Secret Service will take the responsibility of creating a secure environment. He emphasized that it is their duty to identify and implement measures to address any security challenges that may arise.

The rally where the attempted assassination took place was the first time Secret Service counter-snipers were deployed during this election season. Rowe acknowledged that in hindsight, it was fortunate that they had taken this precautionary measure. He also mentioned that Trump had utilized counter-sniper support from state and local law enforcement offices in the past. Going forward, Rowe confirmed that Trump, as well as other high-profile figures like the President, Vice President, Senator Vance, and the eventual Democratic nominee for vice president, will continue to receive Secret Service counter-sniper coverage.

Lawmakers and officials have previously questioned if additional resources should have been assigned to protect Trump during campaign events. In response to these concerns, Rowe stated, "We are going to put full resources out there to make sure that our campaign cadence now has obviously picked up, and we are going to make sure that we have all of the resources out there to address any challenges that we have."

Highlighting a failure in communication between local and federal agents during the rally, Rowe revealed that the Secret Service counter-sniper teams and members of the former president's security detail were unaware of the assailant's presence on the roof with a firearm until the shots were fired. Reports indicate that local officers had spotted the would-be assassin with a firearm on the roof just 30 seconds prior to the incident but failed to relay this information to the Secret Service.

As internal reviews continue within the Secret Service, Rowe confirmed that real-time updates regarding potential discipline for agency employees will not be provided. He mentioned that an ongoing mission assurance review will determine if any policy violations occurred, which would then lead to a parallel disciplinary review.

Responding to demands for accountability, Rowe assured that a "high-level" statement indicating that people are being held accountable for the security failures will be made public. The Secret Service is working diligently to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

This story will be updated as further developments emerge.