On 7/30/2024, in a U.S. Senate hearing, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz accused the U.S. Secret Service of making a politically motivated decision to deny former President Donald Trump extra security, exposing him to an assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month. “I believe the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests,” Cruz said during a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees Tuesday. “And I believe the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics.”

Ronald Rowe, acting director of the Secret Service who has served since 1999 for presidents of both parties, responded indignantly to the remark in a tense exchange where he asserted, “Secret Service agents are not political.”

Cruz retorted that Secret Service leadership is appointed by the president and is therefore a political position. Cruz also asked for the size of Trump’s security detail relative to President Joe Biden’s. Rowe said Trump traveled with a full security crew, though he acknowledged a sitting president has more personnel.

“What’s the difference?” Cruz interjected. “National command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir,” Rowe responded, impatience rising in his voice. “There are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get.”

Rowe said he would get a more detailed breakdown in the number of personnel for Trump and Biden for Cruz.

During the hearing, Rowe placed much of the blame for the security failures in Butler with local police. Secret Service often delegates to state and local law enforcement to cover all vulnerabilities.

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Political decision to deny requests, What’s size difference Biden vs Trump? Cruz GRILLS Secret Service Dir