[Donald J Trump: Pixabay]

After the events that unfolded at the Pennsylvania Trump Rally, which threatened the life of former president Donald Trump, many found it unbelievable that the gunman was able to secure a point that security should’ve easily protected.

Due to the Secret Service’s insufficient security, the gunman was able to take a shot, hitting Donald Trump in the ear, indirectly killing a rally goer, and injuring two others.

The gunman was quickly subdued by the Secret Service counter snipers, yet the damage was already done.

The gunman was later identified as 20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks, and was spotted on a roof building less than 135 meters away from the rally stage in which Trump was positioned.

Current Secret Service director Ronald Rowe Jr, reported to law makers that he has no excuse for letting the gunman climb onto a vantage point during Trump's Pennsylvania rally, allowing him to take the shot.

Ronald Rowe Jr. testified that he recently visited the shooting site and laid down on the building where the gunman took position to evaluate his line of sight onto Trump.

“What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year Secret Service veteran, I cannot defend why that roof was not better secured,” he said.

Rowe completely took the blame, admitting to the poor security that was set up around the perimeter.

Simultaneously, Rowe also criticized local law enforcement for such poor communication, which led to the Secret Service agents not receiving any information about a gunman.

“Neither the Secret Service counter sniper teams nor members of the former president’s security detail had any knowledge that there was a man on the roof of the building with a firearm,” Rowe said. “It is my understanding those personnel were not aware the assailant had a firearm until they heard gunshots.”

Rowe states that the shooting was a result of “multiple levels of failure”, including “failure of imagination” and “failure to challenge our assumption”.

“We assumed that the state and locals had it,” Rowe said.

“We made an assumption that there was going to be a uniformed presence out there, that there would be sufficient eyes , that there were going to be counter-sniper teams”

“And I can assure you,” Rowe added, “that we’re not going to make that mistake again.”

Since the attempt on Donald Trump’s life the Secret Service has been reported to have undergone multiple reforms.

“No information regarding a weapon on a roof was ever passed to our personnel,” Rowe said. At another point, he noted, “It is troubling to me that we did not get that information as quickly as we should have. We didn’t know that this incident was going on.”

However, Rowe’s statement criticizing local law enforcement was looked down upon by Senate Republicans, who saw him as failing to take sufficient responsibility.

“Isn’t the fact that a former president was shot, that a good American is dead, that other Americans were critically wounded — isn’t that enough mission failure for you to say to the person who decided that that building should not be in the security perimeter, that they probably ought to step down?” said Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican.

Rowe, raising his voice, responded that he has “lost sleep over this for the last 17 days” and that he would not be rushed “to judgment” by Congress.

He assured lawmakers that “people will be held accountable.”