WATCH: Rowe says he ‘cannot defend why that roof was not better secured’ at Trump rally shooting

Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe spoke in a hearing Tuesday where he and FBI deputy director Paul Abbate testified on the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

Watch Rowe’s remarks in the player above.

Rowe expressed his shame at the Secret Service’s handling of the campaign rally’s security and vowed to ensure that the critical gaps in security that led to the fatal rally shooting would be amended under his direction.

“I went to the roof of the AGR building where the assailant fired shots, and I laid in a prone position to evaluate his line of sight. What I saw made me ashamed,” Rowe said.

“As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran with the Secret Service, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured. To prevent similar lapses from occurring in the future, I directed our personnel to ensure every event site security plan is thoroughly vetted by multiple experienced supervisors before it is implemented,” he continued. “It is clear to me that other protective enhancements could have strengthened our security at the Butler event.”

The joint hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Senate Judiciary Committee was the latest to examine what investigators have learned about the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally, as well as the security failures that preceded the deadly shooting.

Rowe, who since 2023 had been serving as deputy director of the Secret Service, was appointed acting director after Kimberly Cheatle’s resignation.