WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — A Congressional hearing over the Donald Trump assassination attempt erupted in shouting after Texas Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Sherman) accused the acting Secret Service Director of "auditioning for a job" at an event marking the anniversary of 9/11.
A bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempts against Trump pressed acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe on how the agency missed security vulnerabilities leading up to both assassination attempts, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
The hearing devolved when Fallon displayed a photo of now-President-Elect Trump, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at an event at Ground Zero on 9/11. Rowe was pictured standing behind Harris and Biden at the event.
"Who is usually at an event like this, closest to the President of the United States, security-wise?" Fallon asked.
"The special agent in charge of the detail," Rowe said.
"Were you the special agent in charge of the detail?" Fallon responded.
Rowe said the special agent in charge was just out of the frame of the photo and he attended the event to honor a secret service member who died in the tragedy. The exchange quickly escalated.
"Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes," Rowe yelled.
Fallon called Rowe's response "a bunch of horse hockey" and accused him of "playing politics."
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As the chairman of the task force tried to restore order to the hearing, Rowe said his position at the event did not affect protective operations. Fallon accused Rowe of attempting to raise his profile in hopes of securing the permanent director job.
"You know why you were there? Because you wanted to be visible because you were auditioning for this job that you're not going to get," Fallon said. "You endangered President Biden's life, Vice President Harris' life because you put those agents out of position."
"You are out of line Congressman," Rowe responded.
After the hearing, Fallon addressed the exchange saying he did not intend to incite a screaming match.
"That's on the director because he started screaming, he wouldn't answer questions," Fallon said. "For him to try to politicize this and say it's some kind of degradation of 9/11 is absurd."
Outside of the heated exchange, Rowe told the task force members the agency is “reorganizing and reimagining” its culture and how it operates, according to reporting from the Associated Press.
The task force’s inquiry is one of a series of investigations and reports into the July 13 shooting that killed a rallygoer in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It is essential that we recognize the gravity of our failure on July 13, 2024," Rowe said. “Let me be clear, there will be accountability, and that accountability is occurring."
Anthony Guglielmi is the U.S. Secret Service Chief of Communications. He sent WFAA a statement following Thursday's exchange.
"U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe was invited to the September 11 Memorial Ceremony in New York this year to honor the victims of that tragic day, including the members of the Secret Service who were killed. All detail personnel were present and had complete access to their protectees during the memorial.
Acting Director Ronald Rowe volunteered to support the U.S. Secret Service’s official response efforts in New York following 9/11. He was a part of the second response rotation, which occurred in mid-October 2001. As part of his duties, he worked to support recovery efforts at both Fresh Kills Landfill and Ground Zero."