The U.S. Secret Service’s acting director told a U.S. House of Representatives panel on Thursday that he has overhauled the agency’s security practices after a gunman shot President-elect Donald Trump in July.
Acting Director Ronald Rowe testified to a House task force consisting of seven Republicans and six Democrats that has been investigating two failed assassination attempts on Trump during this year’s presidential campaign.
The panel is expected to vote on the approval of a final report later on Thursday.
“It is essential that we recognize the gravity of our failure on July 13, 2024. I personally carry the weight of knowing that we almost lost a protectee and that our failure cost a father and husband his life,” Rowe testified.
“This entire incident represents the failure to meet the expectations and responsibilities of the Secret Service.”
The Secret Service has faced questions over its staffing levels and communication capabilities following the Trump assassination attempts.
A gunman fired eight shots during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania in July, wounding Trump in the ear and killing another attendee. The gunman was shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
Two months later, a man with a gun holed himself up near a Trump-owned golf course in Florida with what prosecutors have said was an intent to kill the then-Republican candidate while he golfed.
The suspect, Ryan Routh, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges and is awaiting trial.
Rowe has said he was “ashamed” of security lapses surrounding the Pennsylvania shooting. He defended the agency’s response in the Florida incident, commending an agent who spotted the gunman before he could open fire.
Rowe said he has made a series of changes following the shooting, including increasing training for agents, streamlining communication with local law enforcement and boosting the size of Trump’s security detail.
Rowe testified that he has sought to eliminate what he called a “do-more-with-less mindset” at the Secret Service, which he said had a “degrading effect” on the agency. He said the agency was remedying its staffing shortage of recent years and was on pace to hire 650 special agents and 350 uniformed officers in the coming months.
With Reuters inputs