Secret Service ran into bandwidth issues on day of rally, acting director says
Acting USSS director to face questioning on security improvements ahead of DNC
Fox News' Chad Pergram previews the Senate's Tuesday hearing with acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate as lawmakers continue investigating the security lapses at Trump's Butler rally.
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Jr. admitted to the Senate on Tuesday that the assassination attempt against former President Trump was "a failure of the Secret Service," and not local law enforcement.
Rowe's admission was the most direct assignment of guilt by the Secret Service and investigators since the July 13 shooting. The acting director appeared before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees on Tuesday alongside FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate.
Rowe detailed the failure of a drone detection system that was supposed to be online before shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks conducted his own reconnaissance the day of the rally.
Investigators say the drone system was reliant on public cellphone service and that there were bandwidth issues, causing the system to only go online at 5:20 pm. instead of 3 p.m.
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Images are brought out for display as U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate testify on the attempted assassination of Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill, on July 30, 2024. (Umit Bektas)
"Why is the Secret Service dependent upon local a cellular network? Does the Secret Service have a backup plan in place?" asked Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
"That is something … that has cost me a lot of sleep because of the eventual outcome of the assailant. What if we had a geolocated him because that counter-UAS platform had been up?" Rowe said. "It is something that I have struggled with to understand, and I have no explanation for it. It is something that I feel as though could have perhaps found him. We could have maybe stopped him. Maybe on that particular day he would have decided this isn't the day to do it, because law enforcement just found me flying my drone."
Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Jr. admitted to Congress on Tuesday that the assassination attempt against former President Trump was "a failure of the Secret Service," and not local law enforcement. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP)
"People fly drones all the time on the peripheries of our sites, and we go out and we talk to them and we ascertain what their intentions are. On this day, in particular, because of the connectivity challenge, as you noted, there was a delay and he flew his drone at 3:51, approximately. So moving forward, we are leveraging resources from the Department of Homeland Security and others to make sure that we have dedicated connectivity. So that we're not reliant on public domain so that we can ensure that whatever assets we have in place, those assets are operational, and that is my commitment to you that we are going to make sure we're going to do that," Rowe continued.
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Abbate revealed that the FBI has yet to gain full access to the apps on Crooks' phone, saying some content remains hidden on encrypted messaging apps.
U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. points toward a photo displayed during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the security failures leading to the assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol, on July 30, 2024. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP)
Abbate went on to say that the FBI believes it has identified one of Crooks' social media accounts, but they have yet to fully verify its ownership.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to
