Congressional hearing over Secret Service failures turns into shouting match between pro-Trump congressman and agency's acting director
Congressional hearings are typically boring affairs but every so often become highly interesting when fireworks erupt between members of Congress and the officials or witnesses testifying before them.
Such was the case on Thursday when a shouting match erupted between Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) and Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe over the agency's failures to keep President-elect Donald Trump and others safe from potential harm, CBS News reported.
The bitter back-and-forth began after Fallon raised legitimate questions about Rowe's positioning at the annual 9/11 memorial service in New York City in September and whether that negatively impacted the security situation for VIPs in attendance, including Trump, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and others.
Tough questions for the Secret Service's acting director
During a Thursday hearing for the bipartisan House task force investigating the assassination attempts against President-elect Trump over the summer, Rep. Fallon first sharply questioned Rowe, who at that time was the deputy director, about the failures of the Secret Service to prevent a shooter from firing upon Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July as well as Rowe's belated and lackadaisical response in the aftermath of that event.
Fallon later shifted gears to discuss the 9/11 memorial service and highlighted a photo that showed Rowe positioned right behind VP Harris and President Biden -- a spot that Rowe acknowledged is typically occupied by the protective detail's special agent in charge, or SAC, which he admitted that he was not for that particular event.
What was Rowe doing at the 9/11 memorial service?
Acting Director Rowe's demeanor changed almost instantly once Rep. Fallon raised the issue and became defensive and sanctimonious as he insisted, per Roll Call, "Actually, congressman, what you’re not seeing is the SAC of the detail off, out of the picture’s view. And that is the day where we remember the more than 3,000 people that have died on 9/11. I actually responded to Ground Zero. I was there going through the ashes of the World Trade Center. I was there at Fresh Kills," the landfill for WTC debris.
"I’m not asking you that, I’m asking you if you were the special agent in charge? You were not," Fallon said, raising his voice, to which Rowe fired back angrily, "I was there to show respect for a Secret Service member that died on 9/11." Fallon dismissed that excuse as a "bunch of horse hockey," after which Rowe shouted, "Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes."
Following more shouting back and forth, Fallon stated, "Don’t try to bully me. I’m an elected member of Congress and I’m asking you a serious question and you’re playing politics." Rowe yelled in reply, "And I am a public servant who has served this nation and spent time on our country’s darkest day. Do not politicize it."
The congressman returned to his original question about whether Rowe was the SAC for the 9/11 event, to which the embattled official admitted, "No, I wasn’t. I was there representing the United States Secret Service, sir. It did not affect protective operations."
Fallon then accused Rowe, "You know why you were there? Because you wanted to be visible because you are auditioning for this job that you’re not going to get come Jan. 20," and questioned whether Rowe even had a radio and firearm that day and potentially "endangered" the lives of multiple protectees.
Rowe, who insisted he was armed and endangered nobody, furiously shot back, "I was there to pay respect for a fallen member of this agency. You are out of line, congressman. You are out of line."
Auditioning for a job he won't get
After the hearing was over, Rep. Fallon spoke with a Fox News reporter and said of Rowe and the 9/11 memorial service, "There's no reason for him to be there. There isn't. Try to find a place at a time in history where the Secret Service director was that close to the president at a function or event. I don't think you could find it."
"So, yeah, I think he was auditioning for the job, a job that I don't believe he's going to get come Jan. 20," the congressman added. "I have not talked to the president about that, but I suspect that they're going to find much better people because we need to change the culture as well."