Ted Cruz Steamrolls Acting Secret Service Director in Fiery Exchange Over Trump’s Detail at Hearing

During Tuesday’s hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe tried to answer questions from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) but was repeatedly interrupted.

The exchange got especially heated towards the end of Cruz’s questioning when he asked about the campaign of former President Donald Trump being “denied” requests for additional security. Rowe tried to explain the process that went into those requests, but Cruz did not accept Rowe’s answer. After he accused the Secret Service of acting in a partisan manner when assigning protection, Cruz turned to the fateful rally in Butler, Pennsylvania:

Cruz: By the way, is it true that on the day of the Butler event, that Secret Service transferred agents from President Trump to the First Lady?

Rowe: No, sir, that’s not true.

Cruz: That’s been widely reported.

Rowe: It’s not true. There was one airport agent that actually went on the manpower request for the Trump detail. They handled the arrival at the airport for the First Lady.

Cruz: What is the rally? What was the relative size of the Trump detail compared to the detail that is assigned to the president or the First lady?

Rowe: Senator, the former president travels with a full shift, just like the president.

Cruz: What’s the, so, the exact same size. Is that your testimony, that President Trump had the same size detail that President [Joe Biden] has?

Rowe: On the day of in Butler, the agents surrounding him, it is the same number of agents surrounding the president today. There is a difference between a sitting president who also not only —

Cruz: Hold on, you’re using “president” in a way that is not clear. Is it your testimony that in Butler, Pennsylvania, Donald Trump had the same number of agents protecting him that Joe Biden has at a comparable event?

Rowe: I’m telling you the shift, the close protection shifts surrounding —

Cruz: That’s a yes or no.

Rowe: That’s what you asked me, Senator, and I’m trying to answer it.

Cruz: You are not answering it. Is it the same number of agents or not?

Rowe: Senator, there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States —

Cruz: What’s the difference?

Rowe: The difference?

Cruz: 2X, 3X, 5X, 10X?

Rowe: National command authority to launch a nuclear strike, sir, there are other assets —

Cruz: How many more agents?

Rowe: That travel with the president that —

Cruz: Sir! sir!

Rowe: The former president will not get —

Cruz: Well, you’re refusing to answer the —

Rowe: Number of secret service agents protecting him —

Cruz: Stop interrupting! Stop interrupting me!

Rowe: Go ahead, Senator.

Cruz: You are refusing to answer clear and direct questions. I am asking the relative difference in the number of agents between those assigned to Donald Trump and those assigned to Joe Biden. I’m not asking why you assigned more to Joe Biden! I’m asking is the difference, is it 2X, is it 3X, is it 5X, is it 10X?

Rowe: Senator, I will get you that number so you can see it with your own eyes.

Watch the video above via CNN.