Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) predicted Americans will be “shocked” and “appalled” when lawmakers release an interim report into the assassination attempt on former President Trump and security failures by those involved in protecting the Republican presidential candidate.
Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service Ronald Lowe gave senators an update on the investigation into the assassination attempt during a closed-door meeting Thursday.
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Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service Ronald Roe testified at a hearing of the Senate Joint Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Judiciary Committee investigating the security failures that led to the assassination attempt on former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
“The American people will be shocked, appalled and horrified by what we report about the Secret Service's failures in the assassination attempt on a former president,” Blumenthal told Fox News, “but they should also be horrified and appalled that the Department of Homeland Security has not been more open and honest with the American people about the intelligence it provides.”
Blumenthal did not go into detail about what was learned during Thursday's meeting. Despite his comments, other lawmakers declined to comment on how the public might react to their report.
“It will be released shortly. This is only a preliminary report because we still have a lot of information to find out,” Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Michigan, told Fox News. “Hopefully, once this report is released, it will provide us with the additional information we need for a full account of what happened and the steps we can take to make sure this never happens again in the future.”
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Photos from the attempted assassination of former Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump are displayed at the Republican National Convention, Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Jay C. Hong)
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, said lawmakers want to make sure people understand the report will be produced on a bipartisan basis, and noted frustration with Rowe was expressed on Thursday.
“He has promised to provide more information,” Johnson said, “but we want to get this preliminary report out before this period of work. So, again, we're under very tight time constraints. But it's important that people understand that we're committed to a bipartisan deliverable.”
The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny for security and communications lapses before President Trump was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Michael Plati, deputy director of the agency's Office of Protective Operations, where he leads the division responsible for protecting President Trump, President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Senator J.D. Vance, will mark his 27th year at the agency and will end his term this Friday.
Michael Plati, Deputy Director of the U.S. Secret Service's Bureau of Security Operations, has been asked to resign. (U.S. Secret Service)
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The Secret Service said Plati was not asked to resign or resign, but a top official in the internal investigation told Fox News that Plati was encouraged to retire early.
