Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, was one of many Republican lawmakers reacting to Friday’s news conference by acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe about former President Trump was assassinated at a rally in July. Lee said he believed there was more to the story than what Luo told reporters.
“It’s clear that the American people still don’t get the full story,” Lee told Fox News Digital in a statement. “From the beginning, rally attendees and people with cellphone footage seemed more invested in stopping the shooter and figuring out what happened than the Secret Service itself. It’s shocking that more officers have not been held accountable.”
Lee added that he would “not stop pursuing this shocking failure” of the Secret Service.
“There was clearly a cover-up,” said Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
Trump rally video confirms Secret Service ‘failure’, figure seen on roof before shooting: acting director
Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe answered reporters’ questions at a press conference on Friday. (Fox News)
“I don’t think Acting Director Roe will be taking over right away because the administration rarely admits mistakes,” Johnson told Fox News Digital. “I doubt Roe knows exactly who was responsible for this massive security failure, which is clearly a Cover-up. We need detailed investigations and transcribed interviews to uncover the truth.”
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows that since Trump’s assassination, only 3 in 10 Americans have very or very much confidence in the Secret Service’s ability to keep presidential candidates safe.
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott told Fox News Digital that he appreciated Rowe’s willingness to hold a news conference.
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee spoke Tuesday during a joint hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“It’s clear that this was an epic failure by the leadership of the Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, whose primary responsibility was to protect President Trump at this rally,” Scott said. “Since the shooting, we seem to have New information has been obtained from outside sources, but not from the agencies investigating this failure. Therefore, I applaud Acting Administrator Rowe’s decision to update the American people at today’s press conference, and I encourage him to continue.
He added that the FBI must follow suit.
“Unless we start holding daily press conferences, conspiracies and rumors will run rampant and trust will be permanently evaporated,” he said. “The American people still have some unanswered questions about whether people will be held accountable for admitted failures. ”
Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott told Fox News Digital that he appreciated Rowe’s willingness to meet with reporters on Friday. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Mississippi took to social media Friday to respond to a reporter’s article about Rowe, insisting the Secret Service did not know the shooter had a gun before he opened fire. .
Hawley wrote on
Trump shooting: A timeline of assassination attempts
At a press conference Friday afternoon, Rowe provided an update on the investigation into the ill-fated Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, saying the Secret Service was responsible for Thomas Matthew Crooks shooting Trump in the ear. takes “full responsibility” for the security “failure”.
On July 13, former President Trump was shot in the ear while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Chanmemaker/Getty Images)
One rally participant, Corey Comperatore, was killed in the shooting and two others were seriously injured.
“The Secret Service takes full responsibility for the tragic events of July 13. It was a mission failure. Our agency’s only responsibility is to ensure that our protectees are never put in danger. We failed to do that with Butler, And I’m working hard to make sure this failure never happens again,” Rowe said Friday.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson said he believed there was “a clear cover-up.” (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He promised to cooperate fully Congressional Oversight Investigation and an independent review ordered by President Biden. The Secret Service is also conducting its own internal review.
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“If the agency’s mission assurance review finds that Secret Service personnel violated policy, 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 Pandorf and Sarah Rumpf-Whiten contributed to this report.
