By A group of House Republicans is accusing the U.S. Secret Service of a potential ‘pattern of negligence’ amid continued fallout over the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is leading a letter to acting USSS Director Ronald Rowe raising alarms about a recent report suggesting the agency could be facing some negative revelations in a forthcoming Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General report about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
‘It is unfathomable that an assassin was able to gain access to and fire shots at President Trump from an unsecure building with a direct line of sight to the rally stage. It is equally unfathomable that public reporting suggests that U.S. Secret Service had identified the building as a potential vulnerability and failed to include that vulnerability within the security perimeter or otherwise ensure the security of the roof,’ the lawmakers wrote of the July 13 shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The letter then pivoted to a Politico report, stating, ‘Public reporting indicates that the Secret Service is in possession of a draft report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) focused on Secret Service’s preparation for and response to events on January 6, 2021.’
‘The story specifically states that the release of the report ‘could cast light on a series of embarrassing security lapses for the agency,’’ the letter said.
‘Congress, and the American people, deserve to understand whether the security lapses at the July 13, 2024, rally are part of a larger pattern of negligence on the part of the Secret Service.’
Republicans are asking Rowe for a summary of the DHS watchdog report’s findings and recommendations for the Secret Service, and how those steps were carried out ahead of the Trump rally shooting, by July 31.
The letter is also signed by Reps. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., and Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo.
The Secret Service has been under a mountain of scrutiny in the wake of the shooting, which saw a 20-year-old gunman kill one rally attendee and critically injure two others. Trump himself was shot in the ear and rushed offstage by security agents.
The pushback led to the resignation of former Director Kimberly Cheatle last week after a heated House Oversight Committee hearing.
Rowe testified in an equally high-pressure scenario before the Senate on Tuesday, where he told lawmakers on the Homeland Security and Judiciary committees that the rally shooting was a ‘failure’ of his agency.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Secret Service for comment.