NEW: Acting Secret Service head says local officer sent radio message about gunman before Trump was shot—USSS never got it

During a press conference on Friday, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said that a local officer had sent a radio message out that someone had a weapon on the roof before the shots were fired at the Butler, Pennsylvania Trump rally on July 13. 

Rowe's comments came after he testified in a hearing earlier this week about the failures of the USSS during the assassination attempt. Rowe was asked during Friday's press conference if there was a radio message sent out by any local law enforcement officers about the person, later identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, having a weapon in the few moments before he fired the gun.

"With respect to the radio transmissions, you know, based on what the FBI, my colleague from the FBI testified the other day — they are working on isolating some of those radio frequencies from the state level — that there was somebody who did in fact radio out that they'd seen the individual with the weapon. What I can tell you is that that piece of information, that vital piece of information, by no fault of anyone, it was a very stressful situation. It did not make it over."

In addition to information regarding the officer sending out the radio message about Crooks, Rowe also revealed in the conference that he had no updates as to people who have gotten let go from the USSS since he testified.  

Rowe told reporters from the top of the press conference that the security at the Butler, Pennsylvania rally was a “failure” and that the agency “should’ve had better protection” for Trump.



The acting head of the USSS went through a timeline of events of the day, summarizing what happened, and took questions from reporters.