Members of a bipartisan House panel investigating the Trump assassination attempts suggested during their first hearing Thursday that the failures that led to a gunman being able to open fire on former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania were with the U.S. Secret Service, not local police.
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00:00I now call the first hearing of the task force on the attempted assassination of
00:03Donald J. Trump to order this tragedy, the very real threat to democracy of our
00:08nation, escape that day. I think we realize it was entirely preventable, but
00:16because of failures by the Secret Service, the shooting was not prevented.
00:19Just last week, Acting Director Rowe said his own agency showed complacency. The day
00:26of the assassination attempt, Crooks scouted and identified weaknesses in
00:30the Secret Service's security plan using both a drone and a rangefinder. Had
00:35security vulnerabilities not existed, it is entirely plausible he might not even
00:40have attempted the shooting and would have returned home. Unfortunately, we will
00:44never know for sure. What we do know is that the documents and testimony point
00:48to several fundamental failures on July 13th and the days leading up to the
00:52rally. It was not a single mistake that allowed Crooks to outmaneuver one of our
00:56country's most elite group of security professionals. There were security
01:01failures on multiple fronts. To date, our investigation has identified three key
01:06factors. First, Secret Service planning, or perhaps more accurately, their failure
01:12to adequately plan created confusion among the agency's law
01:17enforcement partners. The Secret Service was not assertive on key decisions
01:22like the placement of some of the units and delegating responsibilities.
01:26Secondly, the Secret Service did not close down public access or manage
01:32access to the grounds next to the rally site that were less than 150 yards from
01:36the stage where former President Trump spoke. Third, the security communications
01:42and command structure were not cohesive. It did not allow for rapid decision-making.
01:45Information in a moment of crisis went through radio communications, text
01:51messages and phone calls way too slowly. Secondhand reports were passed in a
01:55manner resembling the old children's game telephone. It is clear that the
01:59Secret Service failed on July 13th. It is also impossible to ignore, however, the
02:05fact that the world has changed dramatically since the Secret Service
02:08first took over full-time presidential protection in 1902. Political events are
02:14bigger. There is a significantly greater number of protectees. Access to
02:20information about protectees' movements are more accessible to the public. Times
02:24have clearly changed. The Secret Service must be expected to accomplish its
02:29zero-fail protection mission without any errors, but Congress must also ensure
02:34that the Secret Service has the resources it needs to accomplish that
02:38mission. The Secret Service must do better. This task force has a solemn,
02:42urgent responsibility. Uncover the failures and help stop them from being
02:48repeated. The American people deserve clear answers about what happened on
02:52July 13th. This hearing will provide the first pieces of what we learned, but make
02:57no mistake, this investigation is still early days and there is much more to do.