In a joint congressional hearing on Tuesday, Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe expressed his shame over security failures that almost resulted in the assassination of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on July 13th. Revealing that neither the counter-sniper teams nor the security detail were aware of the shooter on the roof with a firearm, Rowe admitted to multiple levels of failure in the agency's response to the incident. Despite information about a suspicious individual prior to the shooting, the Secret Service failed to prevent 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from opening fire, injuring Trump and several others at the rally.

Rowe acknowledged gaps in security at the Butler Farm Show grounds where the shooting occurred and implemented corrective actions to avoid similar incidents in the future. The hearing brought to light breakdowns in communication between local law enforcement and the Secret Service, with discrepancies in reporting the suspicious individual prior to the shooting. The testimony also included details about a social media account linked to Crooks that featured extremist and violent content.

Following the resignation of former Director Kimberly Cheatle, who had initially defended the agency's response to the shooting, Rowe took responsibility for the security lapses and vowed to hold individuals accountable without rushing to judgment. Concerns were raised about the lack of information provided to lawmakers and the public in the aftermath of the incident, causing further scrutiny of the Secret Service's handling of the near-assassination attempt on the former president. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General are conducting reviews of the shooting to address the internal issues within the agency.