Josh Hawley claims 'whistleblowers give more info' as he slams USSS over Trump assassination probe

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo) brutally grilled Acting Director of the United States Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr during a hearing on Tuesday, July 30, regarding the investigation into the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

Thomas Crooks, 20, allegedly fired at the GOP nominee from a rooftop while he was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Although he was quickly shot and killed by Secret Service snipers, the incident highlighted a serious security lapse by federal agents.

While Trump himself did not sustain any major injury, one rally attendee was killed while two others were gravely injured.

Josh Hawley's jibe at the Secret Service

Josh Hawley accused the federal agency of lacking transparency in their investigation into the incident, both with lawmakers and the public. He claimed that additional details about the assassination attempt had emerged through whistleblowers.

"Whistleblowers tell me that in fact, law enforcement were stationed on that roof, and that (they) abandoned their post because it was too hot. Is that accurate?" asked Hawley on Tuesday.

Rowe Jr acknowledged hearing the rhetoric but stated that agents were positioned inside. Hawley pressed further, asking if any agent was supposed to be on the roof that day. The director responded, "I do not know that to be a fact."

"Why do you not know that?" asked Hawley, later adding, "I just want to express my frustration director that 17 days or whatever it has been, that whistleblowers are telling us more than you are, and that you don't know, you haven't ascertained if there were supposed to be law enforcement on the roof. That seems like a pretty basic fact."

The USSS director attempted to claim he had been transparent about the investigation's progress, but Senator Hawley quickly shut down that assertion.

Ronald Rowe Jr refuses to rush the investigation

"What more do you need to investigate to know that there were critical enough failures that some individuals ought to be held accountable?" Hawley asked Rowe Jr during the hearing, according to a video shared by USA Today.

"What I need to know is exactly what happened, and I need my investigators to do their job," replied the official. "You're asking me, Senator, to completely make a rush to judgment about somebody failing. I acknowledge this was a failure... I have lost sleep over that for the last 17 days, just like you have."

As Hawley pressed the Acting Director to "fire somebody," Rowe Jr stood firm, stating, "I will tell you, Senator, that I will not rush to judgment. People will be held accountable, and I will do so with integrity, without rushing to judgment or having people unfairly persecuted."

Internet refuses to believe Federal agencies

Netizens sided with the senator, accusing the Secret Service of covering up details of the Trump assassination attempt. Many expressed their frustration in response to a clip from the Senate hearing shared by Hawley, overwhelmingly accusing the federal agency of dishonesty. Here are some of the tweets that illustrate this sentiment.

"They’re transparently dishonest," wrote a user.

"Well, they are being transparent that they’re a bunch of liars," echoed another.

"When the Intelligence Agencies say they’ve been transparent, believe the opposite!" exclaimed a user.

"This goes deep," noted another user.

"Outrageous!!" stated one user.

"Without the whistleblowers we wouldn’t have any real info," quipped a user.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.