Secret Service leadership is under fire as Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) alleges significant failures and a cover-up of those errors following an attempt on Donald Trump's life.

The senator detailed his concerns at the Republican National Convention, criticizing what he views as the agency's lack of accountability and transparency, as Breitbart reports.

Rubio Witnessed Incident Live

Rubio was interviewed by Breitbart News regarding the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Rubio recounted his firsthand experience of the incident during the Republican National Convention. Rubio, who witnessed the attempt live on television, described Trump's reaction and the actions of the Secret Service agents. He initially believed an explosion had occurred in the crowd.

Rubio explained, "I was actually watching, I was watching it live. And my impression -- you know, you see this thing and it takes a second for your brain to process it. It felt like maybe something had exploded in the crowd, and maybe something had sprayed on the president or whatever, because of his reaction."

Shock and Speculation on National Implications

Rubio expressed his concerns and later relief and shock upon realizing Trump had been shot at. "You start to wonder, you know, for those few seconds, he’s on the ground, we have no idea what’s actually happened." He detailed the tension, adding, "They finally stand him up. And obviously you feel relieved, and then you realize, oh, my God, they took a shot."

Speculating on the implications if Trump had been lethally struck, Rubio said, "I don’t know where this country would be on this very day, what would have happened if, God forbid, obviously, it would have been tragic the loss of President Trump, but I think it would have been catastrophic and cataclysmic for America at this moment, in particular."

Criticism of Secret Service's Response

The shooter, identified as a 20-year-old, was spotted by many and was in a position to shoot. Rubio criticized the Secret Service for allowing the individual onto a roof 150 yards away from Trump, calling it a significant failure.

Rubio said, "This guy was, from what we know so far, 20 years old, everybody saw him walking around, people were screaming that there’s this kid who’s up on a rooftop, they knew about it for four or five minutes, they let the President take the stage. And he was close enough to take a shot."

He emphasized his disbelief, stating, "I don’t have to be an expert at Secret Service to know that there is no way in the world some kid with a rifle should be on a roof 150 yards away at an open rally from the president. There just shouldn’t be. And that’s the responsibility of the Secret Service."

Lack of Transparency and Accountability

Rubio accused the Secret Service and Homeland Security of a poor response and a lack of transparency post-incident. He remarked, "Even if you’d like to go around saying, well, we turn that over to local authorities -- which is not true, those local police departments were in charge of traffic control -- but even that, they’re still responsible for the whole package. They put it together."

During the Republican National Convention and a subsequent conference call, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was confronted by Senators but refused to answer questions about the incident. Rubio shared, "I don’t know if someone sat around saying ‘Let’s respond to this in the most horrible way possible.’ Like, what’s the worst way you could respond? This is it. No transparency, bits and pieces leaking out every day, mostly not from them."

Rubio Calls for Greater Transparency

Rubio argued the leadership attempted to cover up their failures and blamed local law enforcement. He lamented, "They should be having daily press conferences, discussing. Here’s what we learned today. Here’s what we know so far. Here’s what we’re doing next. When you don’t do that, people start wondering, ‘Hey, why aren’t these people telling us more?'

Rubio recounted a meeting where Cheatle refused to answer questions, saying, "She told them, ‘This is not the place to discuss this.' I think it actually is the place to discuss this. And she gets up and walks out. And then they follow her down the hall. Because apart from everything else, she thinks she’s not accountable, doesn’t have to answer anybody -- she does. She should be on TV every day, with a press conference telling everybody, ‘Here’s what we found, here’s what we know.'"

Accusations of Incompetence and Arrogance

Rubio expressed frustration with the lack of information sharing, suggesting that the agency went into protection mode. "I mean, it’s not like you’re going to take this case to court -- the guy’s dead. So why aren’t we putting this out there every day so the Americans understand, and being honest, and identifying where the shortcomings were internally? And we haven’t had that," he said.

He added, "They were they were waiting in line, people had said, ‘I want to speak.’ And then they basically said, ‘Well, there’s no speakers, there’s no questions left,’ and they cut off the call. And that’s really what started stirring up the anger."

Rubio attributed the response to an effort to protect the agency's reputation. He clarified, "I think they’re in a mode of protecting their reputation and themselves at this point… I saw a bunch of agents here yesterday that are with the President’s detail. I know some of those guys. They’ve been with us for a long time. And I thanked them. I said, ‘Thank you for what you guys do.’ I’m not talking about the guys that, you know, I’m not talking about them. I’m talking with the leadership of the Secret Service. And I think they’ve messed up."

Divine Intervention and Conclusion

Discussing the potential impact of the incident, Rubio stated, "They’re the ones that advanced that event, the ones who are supposed to protect President Trump and all the other leaders they protect. They don’t just protect these people – they’re protecting our country."

He elaborated on the catastrophic consequences, claiming, "And they failed in that mission. They’re trying to cover that up. And I think they’re trying to find who else to blame."

Rubio also highlighted the divine intervention credited for saving Trump’s life, with Trump narrowly escaping death. "The president -- I’m sure he’s said it to people, he said it to me -- he shouldn’t be here right now. He knows that; we know that." Concluding on a note of amazement, Rubio said, "I don’t know of any other way to explain it but the hand of God. We all witnessed a miracle. We literally witnessed a miracle broadcast on national television."

From an assassination attempt to allegations of incompetence, Sen. Marco Rubio's commentary at the Republican National Convention laid bare his dismay over the Secret Service's handling of the incident and their subsequent lack of transparency.