A yelling match erupted during a congressional hearing Thursday on the attempted assassinations against President-elect Donald Trump, as one congressman accused acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe of attending a 9/11 memorial event as part of a publicity stunt.
The tense exchange occurred during the final meeting of the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, when Rep. Pat Fallon displayed a picture of Rowe standing behind President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during a 9/11 commemorative event in New York City in September. Trump and Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance also attended the ceremony.
The congressman, a Republican from Texas, accused Rowe of positioning himself in the area where the special agent in charge of Biden’s detail would have been, so that he would be seen behind the president. Rowe is not expected to continue on in the role once Trump takes office and podcaster Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent who was highly critical of the agency’s leadership as security failures around the alleged attempts on Trump’s life became clear, as well as Sean Curran, the head of Trump’s current detail, are among those being considered for the job.
Rowe took exception to Fallon’s accusation and quickly and forcefully pushed back.
“Congressman, what you’re not seeing, is the SAIC of the detail out of the picture’s view,” Rowe said, using the acronym for “special agent in charge.”
“And that is the day where we remember the more than 3,000 people that died in 9/11,” Rowe added. “I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center. I was there at Fresh Kills,” Rowe added, referencing a Staten Island landfill where debris from the attack was taken.
Fallon tried to interrupt Rowe: “I’m not asking you that.”
“I was there, congressman!” Rowe yelled while pointing at Fallon.
The shouting match took place during the final hearing of the congressional task force that investigated two attempts on Trump’s life: the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left Trump injured and one of his supporters dead, and the alleged September 15 plot to assassinate Trump at one of his golf clubs.
Rowe – the sole witness in Thursday’s hearing, who was promoted from deputy director to interim head of the agency in the wake of the first attempt on Trump’s life – has acknowledged security failures that day and laid out a number of changes at the agency.
Rowe has previously admitted that “complacency” at the agency “led to a breach in protocol” and that employees who are found to have been complacent “will be held accountable.”
He also acknowledged future strains the agency might face, including the 2028 presidential election cycle.
The exchange between Rowe and Fallon continued to devolve as the two men shouted over one another, with Rowe accusing the congressman of trying to “bully” him and “evoke 9/11 for political purposes,” while the congressman suggested Rowe “wanted to be visible because you were auditioning for this job.”
Fallon told Rowe: “You endangered President Biden’s life, Vice President Harris’ life, because you put those agents out of position.”
As the committee’s chairman banged his gavel, Rowe shot back: “You are out of line.”
