Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe told a Senate committee investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that he is “ashamed” that the rooftop where the would-be assassin fired his shots was not secured and that he could not defend the stunning lapse.

In his opening statement before the Senate’s Judiciary and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, Rowe said he visited the site of the July 13 rally where the shooting occurred and laid on the roof that Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from.

“I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25 year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured to prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future,” he told lawmakers.

Watch:

Acting Secret Service Directors ‘Ashamed’ of Colossal Roof Security Failure

“I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured.”

RONALD ROWE: “I went to the roof of the AGR building where the assailant fired shots, and I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of… pic.twitter.com/dyCq411FXI

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 30, 2024

Both the Senate Judiciary and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees are holding hearings into the disaster. Rowe continued Tuesday morning and admitted that more should have been done to protect Trump, now the GOP nominee for president:

“I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented. It is clear to me that other protective enhancements could have strengthened our security,” he said, a nod to the Trump campaign’s request for additional protective personnel that day.

The more we learn about the failures, the more unbelievable they become:

Trump Assassination Attempt: Local SWAT Team Blames Lack of Planning, Communication

NEW: Trump Rally Gunman on Radar 90 Minutes Prior to Shooting, Used HVAC Unit to Access Roof

New Damaging Info on Security at Trump Butler Rally, Plus More on Possible Political Position of Shooter

BREAKING: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle Resigns After Disastrous Hearing

Expect more bombshell revelations to come out of these hearings as they continue. RedState will keep you updated. What’s already known, however, is that there has been a failure of leadership from President Biden on down, and while former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has resigned, expect other career casualties as well. Although this administration is not known for holding people accountable for colossal failures—see the Afghanistan withdrawal—this fiasco revealed such staggering incompetence that even this regime is being forced to face the music.

"Why don't you relieve everybody of duty who made bad judgment?"

Sen. Josh Hawley calls out acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe for not holding those who failed former President Donald Trump accountable. @HawleyMO pic.twitter.com/Q8g7y0UdWL

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 30, 2024