Washington — Representative Jason Crow of Colorado, the top Democrat on the bipartisan House task force investigating assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump, said he is concerned that there is a “culture of silence” in the Secret Service that prevents agents from speaking out. Needed
“I was impressed by the stories of the specific actions of the officers and agents on the ground that day,” Crowe said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” “There were some heroic people, but there were also many examples of people who knew something was wrong and didn't say anything.”
Task Force, which houses voted to establish Earlier this year, investigations were completed into recent security failures surrounding the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the failed September 15 assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida. In the wake of the initial attack, the Secret Service came under intense scrutiny, leading to the resignation of its director.
Last week, Ronald Rowe, acting director of the Secret Service testified before the panel At its final hearing, where he acknowledged the Secret Service's failure to adequately secure the area at Butler, noted “significant shortcomings” within the agency's operations and said that “we will continue our efforts to protect the American public, Congress, and our loved ones.” “does not meet expectations.” He said his “single focus has been on bringing about much-needed reforms to the Secret Service.”
He said the agency is “operating in an increasing threat environment, with expanding security requirements.”
“The Secret Service's responsibilities are vital to the national security of the United States,” Rowe said, adding, “Our agency is defined not by a single failure, but by our ability to learn from mistakes.”
Task force chairman Representative Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican whose district includes Butler, said the agency lacks the leadership it needs. And he argued that when the Secret Service was brought under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, “they took away their identity – their uniqueness –.”
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“When you're the best of the best, when you're the best of the elite, if you lose that, suddenly you're part of a team,” Kelly said on “Face the Nation.” “That was a huge mistake.”
On the July 13 attack, Kelly said the Secret Service “failed at every step.”
“They failed at the first thing, from selecting the site, to preparing the site, to the ability to coordinate the site and communicate,” Kelly said. He said there was no team meeting before the event and local law enforcement was not involved. Not included in the plan.
“The lack of professionalism, the lack of concern, the lack of coordination and the ability to communicate on July 13 is something I will never understand,” Kelly said. “You knew you couldn't talk to each other. Why did you move?”
Crowe said significant questions remain about the shooter in Butler and the possible shooter in West Palm Beach, adding that the task force has submitted multiple requests to the Justice Department and the FBI about their motivations. Crowe claimed that the requests have been denied because the criminal investigation is ongoing, calling it an “unacceptable situation” and accused the agencies of trying to “block” Congress on the issue.
The Colorado Democrat argued that when it comes to the Secret Service, “there is a systemic problem here.” He said that although the Secret Service has “a lot of exceptional agents and officers”, Butler had “mission failure.”
“The structure, the personnel, the staffing of the Secret Service haven't changed in years, plus we're now asking them to do things they didn't do a decade ago,” Crowe said. Due to their job, agents do not get time for adequate training. “We're not developing their skills and training, and I think you're seeing the results of that.”
Meanwhile, Kelly said the task force has been working since day one to help restore trust and confidence in the Secret Service, which he said is possibly at the “lowest level” in its history. And he acknowledged continued pressure on the Secret Service.
“You have to be prepared at every moment for anything that could possibly happen. Is it a difficult task? Yes, is it almost impossible?” Kelly said. “But you know what's not impossible is our dedication to the fact that we're going to do our best every day to make sure that the American people have confidence and trust in us.”