Acting Secret Service director says he's 'ashamed' gunman was able to get on the Trump rally roof... and reveals he laid in the spot where the shooter opened fire to see the failures himself

The Secret Service's now-top leader Ronald Rowe admitted he had nary defense arsenic for why nan rooftop wherever Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots toward erstwhile President Trump was near open. 

Crooks fired 8 rounds toward Trump from a adjacent unsecured rooftop, sidesplitting firefighter seasoned Corey Comperatore, critically injuring 2 and grazing Trump pinch a slug successful his ear. 

'I went to nan tile of nan AGR building wherever nan assailant fired shots, and I laid successful a prone position to measure his statement of sight. What I saw made maine ashamed arsenic a profession rule enforcement serviceman and a 25 twelvemonth seasoned pinch nan Secret Service. I cannot take sides why that tile was not amended secured,' he told Congress connected Tuesday. 

'When I laid successful that position I could not, will not understand why location was not amended sum aliases astatine slightest personification looking astatine that tile statement erstwhile that's wherever they were posted,' Rowe said, noting that Crooks' caput would person been intelligibly visible from nan unmanned rooftop. 

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle had been criticized for not visiting nan rally tract anterior to her proceeding connected Capitol Hill past week, which prompted her resignation. 

Acting Director Rowe and Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate testified successful a uncommon joint Senate hearing connected Tuesday. 

Thirty seconds earlier Crooks fired his shots, section rule enforcement had radioed to Secret Service informing astir a man pinch a firearm connected nan roof. Around 3 and a half minutes earlier that, he'd been 'observed connected nan roof.' 

Law enforcement 'should've been connected that tile and nan truth that they were successful nan building is thing that I'm still trying to understand,' Rowe said erstwhile Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., pressed him connected whistleblower reports that rule enforcement was expected to beryllium stationed connected nan tile but was not up location because it was 'too hot.'

Abbate revealed that nan FBI had identified a societal media relationship they believed belonged to nan shooter 

'In astir nan 2019, 2020 clip frame, location were complete 700 comments posted from this account. Some of these comments, if yet attributable to nan shooter, look to bespeak anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant themes to espouse governmental unit and are described arsenic utmost successful nature,' Abbate said. 

Rowe said that since nan shooting he'd implemented a number of changes astatine nan Secret Service, including having information plans spell done aggregate supervisors earlier implementation, expanded usage of drones, much resources for protective tract communications and 'expeditious' support of requests for unit astatine protective sites pinch heightened information environments. 

Rowe and Abbate said to nan Judiciary and Homeland Security committees aft their boss, Cheatle submitted her resignation past week aft a six-hour-long proceeding wherever Republicans and Democrats accused her of stonewalling. 

In his opening connection nan Homeland Security Committee's apical Republican  Rand Paul revealed that section rule enforcement had told his agency they'd warned nan Secret Service astir nan vulnerabilities of nan rooftop wherever Thomas Matthew Crooks fired shots astatine nan president.

'Local rule enforcement told my unit that they specifically flagged nan vulnerability of nan building to nan Secret Service, and were told that it would beryllium taken attraction of. Clearly, these vulnerabilities were not addressed.'

Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., asked why much action wasn't taken erstwhile Crooks was seen to beryllium holding a scope finder 30 minutes earlier nan shooting. 

'I thought I had publication that it was a play scope finder. Nonetheless, it still would person provided him nan expertise to supply nan region that he was distant from his intended target.'

'Wasn't that enough?' Durbin asked. 

'As acold arsenic raising suspicion, yes I think.'  

On Monday caller matter messages revealed section rule enforcement officers moving erstwhile President Donald Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally were severely understaffed up of nan attempted assassination. 

During nan tragic rally, Trump was changeable in the receptor and a erstwhile unpaid firefighter mislaid his life aft 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened occurrence from nan tile of a adjacent building conscionable extracurricular nan information perimeter.

Bombshell caller matter messages betwixt nan Beaver County emergency services squad from nan days starring up to nan rally show that location was a staffing shortage.

On July 8, 5 days earlier nan rally, an unnamed squad leader serviceman wrote successful a matter chat that they had been 'requested by Butler to assist' pinch Trump's rally and needed six group to measurement up for nan 12-hour detail. Two offered to do truthful for nan full time, and 2 much offered to divided nan Saturday shift.

The rule enforcement leader wrote successful nan thread that he only had a fewer group disposable to activity nan arena because 'everyone other is either working, connected picnic aliases hurt.' 

The never-seen-before messages besides laic retired a timeline of astir 90 minutes from betwixt nan recognition of Crooks and his deadly fire. 

New messages, bodycam footage and rule enforcement debrief were obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who is conducting oversight of nan event. 

The messages showed that rule enforcement were alert of Crooks, whom they spotted much than an hr and a half earlier Trump took nan stage. 

At 4:26 p.m., a Beaver County sniper vanished his displacement and departed nan AGR building, wherever Crooks was capable to entree and return his shots from. 

As nan sniper near nan building, he texted a concatenation astir a suspicious personification he'd spotted - which turned retired to beryllium Crooks. 

'Someone followed our lead and snuck successful and parked by our cars conscionable truthful you know,' publication 1 message. 

'I'm conscionable letting you cognize because you spot maine spell retired pinch my firearm and put it successful my car truthful he knows you guys are up there.' 

The serviceman noted that he was sitting astatine a picnic array 'about 50 yards from nan exit.' 

'That motorcycle was not location erstwhile I pulled out. Maybe person them cheque that car,' they went on. 

Later on, officers exchanged photos of Crooks, who had past been marked a 'suspicious person,' astatine 5:38 p.m., complete 30 minutes earlier Trump was shot.

'Kid learning (sic) astir building we are in. I did spot him pinch a scope finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out.

Another serviceman asked what guidance Crooks was headed, to which an unnamed serviceman replied, 'if I had to conjecture toward nan back. Away from nan event.' 

It comes aft a whistleblower past week revealed Secret Service stood successful nan measurement of utilizing drone exertion to study nan segment of nan Butler rally wherever an assassin tried to sprout erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., revealed past week that 1 whistleblower had told his agency nan nighttime earlier nan rally Secret Service 'repeatedly denied offers from a section rule enforcement partner to utilize drone exertion to unafraid nan rally.'

The whistleblower alleged that aft nan shooting Secret Service 'changed people and asked nan section partner to deploy nan drone exertion to surveil nan tract successful nan aftermath.'