GOP senators react to acting Secret Service Director Rowe’s press conference: 'Clearly a cover-up’
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, was among a number of Republican lawmakers who reacted to acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe’s press conference Friday about the assassination attempt on former President Trump at a rally in July. Lee said he believes there’s more to the story than what Rowe told reporters.
"It is clear that the American people still have not been given the full story," Lee told Fox News Digital in a statement. "From the beginning, rally attendees and people with cellphone footage seem to have been more invested in stopping the shooter and figuring out what happened than the Secret Service itself. It is shocking that more officials have not been held accountable."
Lee added that he would "not stop hounding" the Secret Service for "this egregious failure."
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said there was "clearly a cover-up."
"I do not believe acting Director Rowe was forthcoming, as the government rarely admits to being wrong," Johnson told Fox News Digital. "I suspect that Rowe knows precisely who was responsible for this massive security failure and that this is clearly a cover-up. We need a detailed investigation and transcribed interviews to uncover the truth."
Only three in 10 Americans are extremely or very confident the Secret Service can keep presidential candidates safe since Trump's assassination attempt, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital he appreciated Rowe’s willingness to hold the press conference.
"It’s obvious that this was an epic failure by the leadership of the Secret Service and DHS, whose main responsibility was to protect President Trump at this rally," Scott said. "Since the shooting, it seemed we got new information from outside sources but nothing from the agencies investigating this failure. So, I appreciate acting Director Rowe’s decision to give an update to the American people in a press conference today, and I encourage him to continue."
He added that the FBI must follow suit.
"Unless we start getting daily press conferences, conspiracy and rumor will run wild, and trust will permanently disappear," he said. "The American people still have unanswered questions, and they want to know people are being held accountable for the admitted failures."
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., told Fox News Digital: "When the Secret Service fails to accomplish its mission, people die. The tragic events that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, were a direct consequence of their failure, and the agency must listen to the concerns of every whistleblower that comes forward. We will be watching to ensure the Secret Service’s internal investigation results in real accountability."
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Miss., reacted on social media Friday to a reporter writing about Rowe insisting the Secret Service didn’t know the shooter had a gun until he started firing.
"But Secret Service was IN CHARGE of this event, and in charge of local law enforcement," Hawley wrote on X. "USSS lack of knowledge about events transpiring over nearly *two hours* at their own event is inexcusable."
TRUMP SHOOTING: TIMELINE OF ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
During Friday afternoon's press conference, Rowe gave updates on the investigation into the ill-fated Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying the Secret Service takes "full responsibility" for the security "failure" when Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the ear.
A rallygoer, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting, and two others were critically injured.
"The Secret Service takes full responsibility for the tragic events of July 13. This was a mission failure. The sole responsibility of our agency is to make sure our protectees are never put in danger. We fell short of that in Butler, and I'm working to make sure that this failure does not happen again," Rowe said Friday.
He pledged to fully cooperate with congressional oversight investigations and an independent review ordered by President Biden. The Secret Service is also conducting its own internal review.
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"If policy violations by Secret Service personnel are identified by the agency's mission assurance review, those individuals will be held accountable, and they will be held accountable to our fair and thorough disciplinary process," Rowe said.
Fox News Digital's Chris Pandolfo and Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.