Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) repeatedly raised his voice while questioning acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe.
At a Tuesday U.S. Senate hearing on the shooting of Donald Trump, Cruz demanded to know how many times the former president had been denied requests for additional protection.
"The process, sir, is that a detail will make a request for either staffing or technical assets, which is handled between the field office and the detail," Rowe explained. "It goes up to a logistics office between our offices."
"So let me tell you what I believe," Cruz opined. "I believe that the Secret Service leadership made a political decision to deny these requests, and I think the Biden administration has been suffused with partisan politics."
Rowe insisted that decisions within the U.S. Secret Service were not "political."
"Does the buck stop anywhere?" Cruz shouted. "You are not a Congress! You don't have a cameral!"
"By the way, is it true that on the day of the Butler event that Secret Service transferred an agent from President Trump to the first lady?" the senator wanted to know.
"No sir, that's not true," the acting director stated.
Cruz became irate when Rowe tried to explain why a sitting president like Joe Biden would have a more considerable Secret Service detail than a former president like Trump.
"That's what you asked me, senator, and I'm trying to answer it," Rowe pleaded as Cruz bellowed into the microphone.
"You are not answering it!" Cruz exclaimed. "Is it the same number of agents or not?"
"Senator, there is a difference between the sitting president of the United States," Rowe insisted. "There are other assets that travel with the president that the former president will not get."
"Sir, you are refusing to answer straight!" Cruz yelled. "Sir, stop interrupting, stop interrupting me!"
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"You are refusing to answer clear and direct questions," he added. "I'm not asking why you assign more to Joe Biden."
"Senator, I will get you that number so you can see it with your own eyes," Rowe promised.
