(NewsNation) — A group of lawmakers investigating the shooting at a July campaign rally for Donald Trump want a briefing with the acting director of the Secret Service following a second attempt on the former president’s life over the weekend.
Ronald Rowe was named acting director of the agency after the resignation of former Director Kimberly Cheatle amid bipartisan calls for her to step down after the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“I appreciate his willingness to lead the Secret Service at this incredibly challenging moment, as the agency works to get to the bottom of exactly what happened on July 13 and cooperate with ongoing investigations and Congressional oversight,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement when he announced the appointment. “At the same time, the Secret Service must effectively carry on its expansive mission that includes providing 24/7 protection for national leaders and visiting dignitaries and securing events of national significance in this dynamic and heightened threat environment.”
Who is Ronald Rowe?
Rowe had served as deputy director of the Secret Service since April 2023, where he had direct oversight over the agency’s investigative and protective operations, according to his official biography. He also “guided the agency’s policies and was responsible for introducing state-of-the-art technologies to enhance the agency’s protective countermeasures.”
Before becoming deputy director, Rowe was the Secret Service’s assistant director for the Office of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs. In that role, he was responsible for leading the Secret Service’s engagement with Congress and other governmental partners.
Other roles he’d held during his 25-year career with the Secret Service include chief of staff to the director; the deputy assistant director for the Office of Protective Operations; and deputy assistant director for the Office of Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs.
Prior to working at the Secret Service, Rowe was a police officer in West Palm Beach, Florida. In 1994, he graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, with a bachelor’s degree in criminology and criminal justice. Rowe obtained a master’s degree from Lynn University in Boca Raton, Florida.
Fallout from Trump assassination attempts
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told NewsNation that Rowe would be in West Palm Beach on Monday for briefings with Secret Service teams and meetings with federal law enforcement partners.
This comes a day after a man, identified by police as Ryan Wesley Routh, allegedly pushed the muzzle of an AK-style rifle through the fence perimeter of the golf course near where Trump was playing a round of golf. A Secret Service agent who saw the rifle opened fire Routh, who fled the scene.
Authorities said after the incident that Trump was safe, and federal authorities are now investigating. Rowe is scheduled to do a walkthrough of the golf course Monday afternoon.
The Secret Service has been under intense scrutiny since the July assassination attempt. Lawmakers involved in the congressional task force investigating it have said there were major failures in security planning and communication during the July shooting. Last week, the task force met with Rowe behind closed doors, and now, following the second assassination attempt, they are hoping to hear from him again.
“We’re going to have to find a way to get more bodies out there who are trained and able and capable of doing this kind of work in a way that the United States can rely on and meets the high standards of what we expect from the Secret Service,” Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said. “We know we can have another day like that. The United States has to meet a higher standard. The Secret Service has to meet a higher standard. Our democracy demands that, and this task force is going to work to make sure that we get that.”
