Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe did not directly answer when asked why agents did not check the spot along Trump International Golf Club that was used by an attempted assassin despite that spot being a known security vulnerability for years.
Rowe was giving an update on Friday about the Secret Service’s failures from the first attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Many of the questions Rowe was asked were about the second assassination attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.
‘The bottom line is the individual was detected.’
“The busy public road that is adjacent to that sixth hole where the suspect was hiding, is a well-known blind spot on that specific golf course. Why did no one within the U.S. Secret Service sweep behind that fence line for threats?” a reporter asked Rowe.
“They were sweeping ahead. … So what I just explained is that that element, that lead element was going ahead sweeping,” Rowe replied.
“But was there anyone behind the fence where the road was sweeping there to see if anyone was in the bushes?” the reporter pressed Rowe.
“Having been there and seen the vantage, whether they were on the public side or the private side, the bottom line is the individual was detected,” Rowe said.
According to the reports, the only reason the lead element of Trump’s detail was able to spot Ryan Routh, the would-be shooter, was because Routh stuck the barrel of the rifle he was using through the fence and out of the shrubbery. If Routh did not do so, the agents would have had a much harder time spotting him because of the bushes.
Rowe has come under more scrutiny following Sunday’s major security breach as it is the second time someone has tried to kill Trump within two months, especially since the second time happened under his watch.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) revealed on Thursday the federal law enforcement agencies investigating the West Palm Beach incident are not cooperating with his state agencies, who are also looking into the matter.
“No, they are not being cooperative; yes, I am concerned. For example … our investigators were rebuffed just going to the fence line outside of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. I think they’ve taken the position they don’t want the state of Florida to be involved in this. But here’s the thing, there were multiple violations of Florida law,” DeSantis said.
– YouTubewww.youtube.com
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