Officials from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, challenged various elements of acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr.’s testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday. Rowe quickly deflected responsibility toward local law enforcement for permitting an individual to attempt to assassinate former President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate attended a joint hearing with the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. This was the first time a representative from the Secret Service appeared before Congress since the resignation of former chief Kimberly Cheatle earlier this month.
Rowe stated that agents were unaware of a man on the roof of the AGR building at the rally until it was too late. He acknowledged that the responsibility for the security lapse at the former president’s rally ultimately lies with the Secret Service.
However, when asked why Trump was permitted to take the stage at 6:02 p.m. despite security being aware of a suspicious individual seen with a rangefinder, Rowe claimed he never received communication indicating that there was a suspicious person armed or with harmful intentions.
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Drone footage captures lawmakers climbing atop the AGR building from which would-be assassin Thomas Crooks fired on July 13. (Fox News Digital)
Rowe also presented visuals of the site, indicating the roof from which the would-be shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks fired, stating, “I will not, and I cannot understand why there was not better coverage or at least someone monitoring that roofline when that’s where they were stationed.”
This statement seemed to place blame on local snipers positioned within the AGR building during the rally.
Patrick Young, the commander of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, and Nathan Bible, the Beaver County District Attorney, spoke with Fox News on Tuesday, rebutting the accusations against local officers.
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The vicinity surrounding the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pa., on July 22, 2024. A bipartisan group of lawmakers toured the site of the attempted assassination of former President Trump, which resulted in one death and two injuries at a campaign rally. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
Young indicated that there were two snipers inside the AGR building, one from the Butler County Emergency Services Unit and the other from the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit.
At some point during the evening, one of the snipers spotted Crooks and took photos of him “based solely on the fact that he appeared suspicious,” Young stated, noting there was no evidence he posed a threat.
Young also mentioned that his unit was directed where to go by Butler County ESU, which he believed had received approval from the Secret Service.
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Former President Trump reacts as multiple shots were fired during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pa., on July 13. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
“They were deployed by Butler County ESU, which I assumed was done with Secret Service’s approval. Their roles that day were clearly defined and understood,” Young elaborated. “Their designated areas included the entry control point, the spaces before and after the magnetometer, and the area in front of the stage, all within the secured perimeter established by the Secret Service.”
At approximately 5:34 p.m. that day, Young reported, one of his officers spotted Crooks with a rangefinder and then checked in with the “sniper text group” to share a photo. He noted that the Secret Service had previously advised against communication through text, but he couldn’t identify an alternative way to transmit a picture via radio.
Ultimately, the Beaver County sniper observed Crooks pick up a backpack and vanish behind the edge of the building. The sniper then went down to the first floor to search for Crooks, interacted with patrol, and informed them the suspicious individual was behind the building before returning to his post. Meanwhile, Young mentioned, the Butler sniper remained at the window.
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Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. testifies before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security and Government Affairs committees in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill Tuesday. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Shortly after returning, gunfire erupted, and the Butler sniper was alerted to the shots, Young explained.
However, the window from which the two snipers monitored did not provide a clear view of the roof from which Crooks was firing without leaning out.
Bible defended the snipers, asserting that their duty was to observe the crowd from the perimeter, not look beyond it, which is where the roof was located.
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Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, questions U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate during a Senate Committee hearing investigating the security failures that led to the assassination attempt on former President Trump, now a Republican presidential candidate. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
“Our officers were in covert sniper positions, set back a few feet from the window,” the District Attorney stated. “To observe that roof, they would have needed to lean out, compromising their position.”
Bible indicated that if the Secret Service had instructed local officials to place snipers on the roof, they would have readily complied.
Bible expressed that the Beaver County law enforcement team, which assisted, was dissatisfied with how federal officials represented their actions, but he and Young were proud of their team’s performance.
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“It’s not about them receiving credit for the excellent work they did that day,” Bible noted. “But they certainly will not accept unwarranted blame. They feel somewhat disappointed regarding the manner in which certain information has been shared. Nevertheless, they have a duty to fulfill, and if asked again, I’m confident they would respond.”
Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report.
