The head of the US Secret Service announced in a Friday press conference that the agency failed to properly plan and execute its duties at former President Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Pennsylvania July 13 — and vowed that those responsible would be “held accountable.”
“This was a failure on the part of the US Secret Service,” acting director Ronald Rowe said. “These employees will be held accountable.”
Rowe explained that the agency shoulders “the main responsibility of building the site plan” for any of the former president’s or other protectees’ events — but had not given “clear guidance or direction to our local law enforcement partners” for the Butler, Pa., campaign event.
“There was complacency” among some of the Secret Service agents preparing the Butler Farm Show grounds security footprint, Rowe added, and a communication breakdown due to some messages being “siloed” from either the federal or local teams.
Since Trump’s near-assassination in mid-July, the threat environment has also become “tremendous,” according to Rowe.