Secret Service director vows overhaul as Congress presses him on Trump assassination attempt

WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting director of the Secret Service said Thursday that the agency is “reorganizing and reimagining” its culture and how it operates following an assassination attempt against Donald Trump on the campaign trail.

Members of a bipartisan House task force investigating the attempt on Trump's life pushed Ronald Rowe on how the agency’s staffers could have missed such blatant security vulnerabilities leading up to the July 13 shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Rowe promised accountability for what he called the agency’s “abject failure” to secure the rally in Butler, where a gunman opened fire from a nearby building. Trump was wounded in the ear, one rallygoer was killed and two others were wounded.

Another assassination attempt two months later contributed to the agency’s troubles. That gunman waited for hours for Trump to appear at his golf course in Florida, but a Secret Service agent thwarted the attack by spotting the firearm poking through bushes.

The task force has been investigating both attempts, but it was the July 13 shooting that dominated Thursday’s hearing. Its inquiry is one of a series of investigations and reports that have faulted the agency for planning and communications failures. The agency’s previous director resigned, and the Secret Service increased protections for Trump before the Republican won the November election.

Rowe was repeatedly asked by flabbergasted lawmakers how problems so obvious in hindsight were allowed to happen, including communications difficulties between the Secret Service and local law enforcement that help secure events and the building overlooking the rally being left unprotected.

Rep. Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, said it was “just wild to me” that at a time of such tech advances that the Secret Service was using text messages and emails to communicate in real time about threats.

He also asked Rowe why so many things went wrong that day “yet nobody said anything.”

Crow mentioned a drone operator who couldn’t get his drone to work and a counter-sniper positioned at a location where a tree blocked part of the view. Neither spoke up.

“Why aren’t people saying something? It happened on numerous occasions," said Crow, a former Army Ranger.

Rowe said the agency used to have a culture where people felt comfortable speaking up.

“I don’t know where we lost that,” he said. “We have to get back to that.”

Rowe said the agency is putting a much stronger emphasis on training — something that previous investigations noted was lacking — and on doing more regular after-action reviews of events to see what went right and where improvements can be made.

“We are reorganizing and reimaging this organization," Rowe told lawmakers. He said the agency needs to identify possible leaders much earlier in their careers instead of just promoting people to command positions because they have been around a long time.

Rep. Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican, said the agency’s conduct during the July shooting seemed almost “lackadaisical.” He said some of the issues that went wrong that day were ”really basic things.”

“It speaks of an apathy or a complacency that is really unacceptable in an organization like the Secret Service,” Green said.

The hearing was largely cordial, with members of Congress stressing the bipartisan nature of their work and praising Rowe for cooperating with their investigation even as they pushed him for explanations.

But at one point, the hearing devolved into a heated yelling match between Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon, a Texas Republican. Fallon pulled out a photo of President Joe Biden, Trump and others at this year's Sept. 11 ceremony in New York. As Fallon pushed Rowe about why he was at the event, Rowe pushed back, yelling at him not to politicize the 9/11 attacks. Fallon accused him of going to the event to raise his profile in hopes of getting the director’s job.

Trump has not yet named his pick to lead the agency.

This is the task force’s second public hearing and the first time that Rowe has addressed its members in public. The panel has until Dec. 13 to release its final report, though Crow said it could be released later Thursday or in the coming days.

The task force conducted 46 transcribed interviews, attended over a dozen briefings and reviewed over 20,000 documents. Members also visited the site of both assassination attempts and went to the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, to look at evidence.

Rowe said Thursday that the agency's internal investigation, whose findings were released last month, identified failures by multiple employees. He noted that the quality of the advance work — the people who scope out event locations ahead of time — did not meet agency standards. And he vowed accountability for those who fell down on the job.

“It is essential that we recognize the gravity of our failure on July 13, 2024," Rowe said.

He did not give specific information, including, for example, how many employees might be disciplined or if anyone would be fired.

Many of the investigations have centered on why buildings near the rally with a clear line of sight to the stage where Trump was speaking were not secured in advance. The gunman, Thomas Crooks, climbed onto the roof of one of them and opened fire before being killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.

When asked what he thought was the most glaring oversight that day, Rowe pointed to the failure to protect the building.

He also was asked about the morale of agents and new hires. Rowe said applications are actually up this year — the agency made a net gain of about 200 agents during the past fiscal year, meaning both new agents were hired and veteran agents retained.

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. is sworn in during a House Task Force hearing on the Secret Service's security failures during the attempted assassinations of President-elect Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla, on Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr., left, talks with Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., following a hearing by the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on the Secret Service's security failures regarding the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump, in Butler, Pa., July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla., Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. prepares to leave as Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., chairman of the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, adjourns a hearing on the Secret Service's security failures during the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump, in Butler, Pa. on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla., Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. responds to questions from Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, during a hearing by the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on the Secret Service's security failures regarding the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump, in Butler, Pa. on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. testifies during a House Task Force hearing on the Secret Service's security failures during the attempted assassinations of President-elect Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla, on Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. testifies during a House Task Force hearing on the Secret Service's security failures during the attempted assassinations of President-elect Donald Trump in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla, on Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., chairman of the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, questions Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. during a hearing on the Secret Service's security failures regarding the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla, on September 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, questions Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. during a hearing by the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on the Secret Service's security failures regarding the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump, in Butler, Pa. on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Secret Service Acting Director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. responds to questions from Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, during a hearing by the House Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on the Secret Service's security failures regarding the assassination attempts on President-elect Trump, in Butler, Pa. on July 13, 2024, and West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 15, 2024, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is helped off the stage at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

FILE - Ronald Rowe, acting director of the U.S. Secret Service, speaks to reporters at the agency's headquarters in Washington, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, Pool, File)

Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a nationwide day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured as speculation mounted about a possible cause of the disaster that remained unknown.

Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan's capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan after flying east across the Caspian Sea.

The plane went down about 3 kilometers (around 2 miles) from Aktau. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Other footage showed part of its fuselage ripped away from the wings and the rest of the aircraft lying upside in the grass.

On Thursday, national flags were lowered across Azerbaijan, traffic across the country stopped at noon, and signals were sounded from ships and trains as the country observed a nationwide moment of silence.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that it was too soon to speculate on the reasons behind the crash, but said that the weather had forced the plane to change from its planned course.

“The information provided to me is that the plane changed its course between Baku and Grozny due to worsening weather conditions and headed to Aktau airport, where it crashed upon landing,” he said.

Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said that preliminary information indicated that the pilots diverted to Aktau after a bird strike led to an emergency on board.

According to Kazakh officials, those aboard the plane included 42 Azerbaijani citizens, 16 Russian nationals, six Kazakhs and three Kyrgyzstan nationals. Russia's Emergencies Ministry on Thursday flew nine Russian survivors to Moscow for treatment.

As the official crash investigation started, theories abounded about a possible cause, with some commentators alleging that holes seen in the plane's tail section possibly indicate that it could have come under fire from Russian air defense systems fending off a Ukrainian drone attack.

Ukrainian drones had previously attacked Grozny, the provincial capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, and other regions in the country's North Caucasus. Some Russian media claimed that another drone attack on Chechnya happened on Wednesday, although it wasn't officially confirmed.

Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation security firm based in the United Kingdom, warned its clients that the “Azerbaijan Airlines flight was likely shot down by a Russian military air-defense system.” Osprey provides analysis for carriers still flying into Russia after Western airlines halted their flights during the war.

Osprey CEO Andrew Nicholson said that the company had issued more than 200 alerts regarding drone attacks and air defense systems in Russia during the war.

“This incident is a stark reminder of why we do what we do,” Nicholson wrote online. “It is painful to know that despite our efforts, lives were lost in a way that could have been avoided.”

Asked about the claims that the plane had been fired upon by air defense assets, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “it would be wrong to make hypotheses before investigators make their verdict.”

Kazakhstan’s parliamentary Speaker Maulen Ashimbayev also warned against rushing to conclusions based on pictures of the plane’s fragments, describing the allegations of air defense fire as unfounded and “unethical.”

Other officials in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have similarly avoided comment on a possible cause of the crash, saying it will be up to investigators to determine it.

Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Aida Sultanova in London, contributed to this report.

In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev holds a meeting in Baku, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024 following an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane crash. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov lays a bunch of flowers at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Flowers and portraits are placed at the Consulate of Azerbaijan in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, a part of Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

Azerbaijan's national flag at half-mast in the memory of victims of the Azerbaijan Airlines' Embraer 190 that crashed near the Kazakhstan's airport of Aktau, is seen in the center of Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Aziz Karimov)

In this image taken from video released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers transport wounded passengers from a medical plane after the Azerbaijani Airline crashed, near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, upon their arrival at the Zhukovsky airport outside Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, rescuers prepare to carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

In this photo provided by Azerbaijan's Presidential Press Office, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, center, holds a meeting following an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 plane crash, in Baku, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (Azerbaijani Presidential Press Office via AP)

In this image released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this image released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers prepare to carry a wounded passenger near the Kazakhstani city of Aktau, Thursday, Dec. 26 , 2024, after a plane of Azerbaijani Airline crashed. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service, rescuers work at the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (Kazakhstan's Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

The wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lays on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Azamat Sarsenbayev)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)

In this photo taken from a video released by the administration of Mangystau region, the wreckage of Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 lies on the ground near the airport of Aktau, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024. (The Administration of Mangystau Region via AP)