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According to a report by the Global Times citing the Associated Press, regarding the attempted assassination of former US President Trump on July 13, local time, Ronald Lowe, acting director of the US Secret Service, admitted at a congressional hearing on July 30 that the department made mistakes and took full responsibility for the incident. He said, "What I saw (during the field investigation) made me feel ashamed," and he believed that the Secret Service had no excuse for the lack of security measures on the rooftop where the gunman was at the time of the incident.

Photo caption: Ronald Lowe, acting director of the U.S. Secret Service, attended a congressional hearing on July 30 local time.

Lowe reportedly said he recently visited the shooting scene and lay on the roof of the building where the gunman was when he opened fire to assess the gunman's line of sight at the time. "What I saw made me ashamed. As a career law enforcement officer and a 25-year veteran of the Secret Service, I cannot explain why there was not better security on the roof."

The Associated Press said that at the hearing, Lowe acknowledged the Secret Service's mistakes and criticized the communication problems with local law enforcement. He accused local law enforcement of not promptly informing the Secret Service about the information about the gunman found in advance. Lowe said that the shooting was a "failure on multiple levels" and "I can assure you that we will not make the same mistake again."

On the evening of July 13, Trump attended a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks, a 20-year-old gunman, fired several shots at Trump from the roof of a building about 140 meters away from Trump's podium, injuring Trump's right ear and killing one spectator and seriously injuring two others. Crooks was shot dead on the spot by Secret Service personnel.

After Trump was assassinated and injured, former Secret Service Director Kimberly Chittel became the target of public criticism. After the incident, she stated that she would not resign. On July 22, Chittel was "bombarded" at a hearing held by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. She admitted that Trump's assassination and injury were the "greatest failure in decades" of the Secret Service's security work. At that time, she still showed her willingness to stay and said that "she believes she is the best candidate to lead the Secret Service at present." However, under the severe pursuit of politicians from both parties, Chittel changed her position of intending to stay on the 23rd and announced her resignation as director, "taking full responsibility" for Trump's assassination and injury.

On July 22, Kimberly Chittel attended a hearing held by the House Oversight and Accountability Committee in Washington, the United States.Image source: Xinhua News Agency

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas later announced in a statement that Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Lowe had been appointed Acting Director of the Secret Service. U.S. President Biden also issued a statement on the same day saying that the independent review of the "attempted assassination" incident is still ongoing.

In addition, Guancha.com reported from Fox News and the New York Post, a US conservative media outlet, that on July 31, local time, former US President and Republican presidential candidate Trump returned to Pennsylvania, where he was attacked last time, to campaign. When he spoke at a rally in Harrisburg, he invited a young woman to the stage, saying that she had saved his life.

Trump said that he turned his head when the gunman opened fire because he looked back at the data chart about illegal immigration made by the woman. "I love that chart. I will sleep with that chart for the rest of my life."

Trump said, "In a sense, she saved my life." He described the coincidence of his escape from shooting, saying that he usually did things randomly at rallies, and that the data chart was used "less than 20% of the time" and "always on my left."

He said that if the picture had not been placed on the right (there was actually a screen on each side) and he had turned his head just in time, he "would have been hit precisely."