Ted Cruz: Secret Service Made ‘Political Decision’ to Deny Trump Team’s Requests for More Security

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) believes the U.S. Secret Service made a “political decision” to deny requests from former President Donald Trump’s team for additional security, making that assertion during Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, Jr.’s testimony and reiterating that point at a press conference following the testimony as well.

“Just after the shooting, Secret Service put out an official statement from your spokesperson that says there’s an untrue assertion that a member of the former president’s team requested additional security resources that those were rebuffed,” Cruz said, providing their explanation.

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“It is accurate that the Trump team had not asked for additional security and had not been rebuffed?” Cruz asked.

“If you’re talking about Butler, Pennsylvania, all assets requested were approved. If you’re talking about the media reporting of assets requested, there are times when assets were unavailable and not able to be filled, and those gaps were staffed with state and local law enforcement tactical assets,” Rowe responded.

“So I’m reading from the Washington Post — July 20, 2024 Secret Service said to a denied request for more security at Trump events. The opening paragraph — ‘Top officials us, Secret Service repeatedly denied requests for additional resources and personnel sought by Donald Trump security detail in the two years leading up to his attempted assassination, according to four people familiar with the requests.’ Is that right that repeatedly the Trump detail asked for more resources and repeatedly Secret Service leadership turn that down?” Cruz asked again, as Rowe said that was inaccurate.

When Cruz asked how many requests the Trump team made, Rowe was unable to provide an answer.

“You’ve had two weeks. You had a spokesperson put something out that is false on its face — by the way, did you approve this statement when it went out?” Cruz pressed, as Rowe was unable to answer if he approved of the statement. He also could not say if his predecessor approved the statement as well.

Cruz then asked Rowe to provide the committee in writing “every written request for additional resources from the Trump campaign or the Trump detail and every response from Secret Service.” At that point, Cruz tried to nail down who makes the decision to deny requests for additional security. Again, Rowe was unable to answer who is in charge of that.

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“The process is that a detail will make a request for either staffing, technical assets that is handled between the field office and the details to a logistics office between –” he began as Cruz interjected, “Is there a decision maker?

“Senator, it’s a conversation. It’s not just an absolute yea or nay,” Rowe responded.

“So let me tell you what I believe. I believe that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests, and I think the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics,” Cruz said, making that same point at a press conference held after the testimony.

“Did the same person who denied the request for additional security to President Trump also repeatedly deny the request for security to Robert F. Kennedy Jr, whose father was murdered by an assassin and whose uncle was murdered by an assassin — the same person make that decision?” Cruz pressed as Rowe maintained that Secret Service agents “are not political.”

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