'That's Quite A Bit Of Time': Lankford Pans Acting Secret Service Chief Over Trump Shooter Response

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During a joint Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committee hearing prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) questioned Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbatte about the attempted Trump assassination.  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript   Stay Connected Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00Senator Lankford, I recognize for your questions.

00:02Chairman, thank you.

00:03Thank you to both of you for the testimony today.

00:05Director Rowe, future Vice President J.D. Vance was in my state this past week in Oklahoma

00:12City.

00:13I talked with some of the Secret Service folks that are there.

00:15They're doing a terrific job.

00:16I got a chance to be able to thank them personally for the tasks they're doing, and I know the

00:20Oklahoma folks in Secret Service, and they're very dedicated, incredibly sharp people on

00:25that team.

00:26So I know this is a challenge to all Secret Service.

00:29This is something every Secret Service agent wakes up every single day and wants to avoid.

00:33So please continue to be able to pass on our gratitude for the work they do every single

00:36day and for what's happening out there.

00:38I will, Senator.

00:39I appreciate that.

00:40Mr. Vate, I want to ask you about some of the interviews that have happened.

00:44Y'all have done more than 400 interviews at this point.

00:46For the counter-sniper team that was local law enforcement that was on the second floor

00:52overlooking that rooftop, have they been interviewed at this point?

00:55Yes, Senator.

00:56I believe that each of them have been interviewed.

00:58Do you know offhand if they were at their post at that time, able to look across that?

01:03They were at that post at some times.

01:05Do we know they were at that post at 608 to 611?

01:09My understanding, and to be fair, I have not read the reports directly, but I've been briefed

01:14on some of it.

01:15They were at times during the timeframe we're talking about here on post within the AGR

01:22building, and I do believe, but I would want to confirm this at some point, one or more

01:27did venture out in an effort to locate and isolate these guys.

01:31We understand from the timeline that they were also looking for this individual that

01:35was suspicious that they had left that post to be able to try to look for him on the ground

01:38at different points to try to be able to see if they could get a different perspective.

01:40What we're trying to figure out is during that time period that he actually climbed

01:44on the roof, assembled a firearm or took a firearm with him or picked one up, whatever

01:48it might have been there, that they were able to actually see him if they were able to look

01:51left as been acknowledged in the photos that are up there.

01:55Senator, I don't know the exact timing and the movements of each officer that was out

01:59there, but what I would derive from it is they were all focused on locating the shooter,

02:05the suspicious person at the time.

02:07And then as we've all seen, the one officer attempted to get on the roof directly.

02:13There were efforts going on in those final minutes on the video to try to get to this

02:17person.

02:18We've got one officer being boosted up by another officer to look up on the roof because

02:21people on the ground had said there's someone up there and they have a gun that's crawling

02:24on that roof.

02:25And so they climbed up to be able to see it.

02:27He turned around with a rifle, he came down, and then at that point he gets on the local

02:31radio that he has and says there's someone on the roof with a gun.

02:35Is that correct?

02:36Yes, Senator.

02:37I believe that that's accurate.

02:38So what's the rest of the radio communication?

02:39We've heard that first call in.

02:41We know it's about 30 seconds from the time he called in until the actual first shot rang

02:46out.

02:47What else was discussed on the radio during that 30 second time period?

02:50Senator, I don't have, we have the radio communications.

02:53They were, the local radio communications were recorded and captured and we do have

02:57that as part of the investigation.

03:01You know, the key points to me, that local officer communicating that he sees the individuals,

03:06he's armed, that's at about 611 and some seconds, I think it's three seconds, and then he identifies

03:12it as a long gun at about 611 and 11 seconds.

03:15And the shots, which all happened quickly together, I believe happened within probably

03:2130 seconds.

03:22So we're talking about over the radio because there's a command center there.

03:26We're all radios, including the local, as they are all being listened to, to try to

03:30be able to review.

03:32There's a statement that has the word gun in it that's coming out across the radio.

03:37We only know that first communication.

03:38We don't know what came back and forth on that.

03:40We'd like to get transcripts of that conversation that was done, local law enforcement.

03:44But coming into that command center, there's also the word gun coming through one of the

03:50radio frequencies.

03:51And I think that would be communicated pretty quickly to everybody across the spectrum.

03:5530 seconds is not long, but that's an NFL play plus a huddle plus the next play.

04:00That's quite a bit of time still to be able to respond.

04:02When Secret Service moved to be able to protect the president once the first shots were fired,

04:07within two seconds, they're gathered around him.

04:11So trying to be able to figure out where the word gun got lost in radio communication here

04:16and what else was said.

04:19We will share the communications with you and the committees, Senator.

04:23I will note, just from my notes, there was effort within those minutes and seconds once

04:29the gun was announced.

04:31There's other communications where the local police are talking about deploying a QRF and

04:37responding that they've got the buildings surrounded.

04:39So it's not in a void.

04:41I don't want to give you the misinterpretation.

04:42Right, I understand.

04:43But typically, I would assume for Secret Service, if they hear over the radio over something

04:46gun, they're moving to be able to protect the detailee, the person they're protecting

04:50at that point, the protectee, that they're moving pretty quickly at that point if that's

04:54what's actually coming out.

04:56And so that's what I'm trying to be able to figure out, how that didn't get communicated

04:59out to the people that were directly in front of the former president at that point.

05:03And the last question I'd have, I only have a second left, is just, was there any overhead

05:07drone?

05:08We've talked about counter drone, but any visibility that Secret Service had to be able

05:12to see the field and all the operation in their own ability?

05:16No, sir.

05:17And as was asked by another senator earlier, it appears that there was an offer by a state

05:23or local agency to fly a drone on our behalf, and I'm getting to the bottom as to why we

05:28turned that down.

05:29Okay.

05:31Senator Kennedy, I recognize for your questions.

05:35Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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