Embattled acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe arrived in Florida on Monday to investigate the assassination plot against former President Donald Trump at his golf club over the weekend.
Rowe will reportedly speak with local and federal law enforcement before going to the golf course where a man with an AK-47-style rifle was able to get within 500 yards of Trump. Rowe’s visit comes as the Secret Service still faces questions about the security failures at a Pennsylvania Trump campaign rally in July when the former president was struck in his right ear by a bullet during another assassination attempt.
Ryan Routh was arrested on Sunday after authorities say a Secret Service agent spotted a gun barrel sticking out of a fence at the golf course a few holes ahead of where Trump was playing. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said he was “between 300-500 yards” away from Trump, and “with a rifle and a scope like that, that’s not a long distance.”
The agent opened fire at Routh before he fled the scene, according to investigators. Routh was apprehended with the help of a witness who captured a picture of the escape vehicle.
Routh, 58, has a previous weapons conviction in North Carolina and has indicated support for Democratic candidates in recent years on social media and with political donations. He was previously featured in major news outlets like the New York Times and the Associated Press due to his support for Ukraine.
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After this second attempt on Trump’s life, top Republican lawmakers said there were even more questions that needed to be answered.
“Thanks to the swift action of Secret Service agents on the ground, President Trump was unharmed today. However, new questions present themselves and we must and we will get answers,” said Rep. Mark Green (R-TN), the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chair of the House Republican Conference, questioned how a gunman was able to get near Trump.
“We must ask ourselves how an assassin was allowed to get this close to President Trump again? There continues to be a lack of answers for the horrific assassination attempt in Pennsylvania and we expect there to be a clear explanation of what happened today in Florida,” she said.
In addition to the FBI and Secret Service investigation, Governor Ron DeSantis said that Florida would be conducting its own probe into the incident.
