Congress wasted no time in convening multiple investigations into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania Saturday which left the gunman and a spectator dead.
Investigations Launched by Multiple Committees
As many as six different Congressional Committees in the House and the Senate are investigating a security lapse that allowed a shooter to nearly kill the former President.
Private Briefings and Upcoming Public Hearing
Senators and Congressmen received private briefings on the incident on Monday, and Committees are preparing for a public hearing next week. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will testify July 22 on the House Oversight Committee.
Statement from House Oversight Committee Chair
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, wrote, “The United States Secret Service has a no-fail mission, yet it failed on Saturday when a madman attempted to assassinate President Trump, killed an innocent victim, and harmed others.”
Questions About Security Lapse
Comer stated that while he is “grateful to the brave Secret Service agents…questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecured.”
Request for Records and Documents
For the forthcoming public hearing, the Republican members of the Committee requested records, communications, documents, and other items from the Secret Service preparations for the political rally.
Upcoming Meeting for Congressional Members
The Oversight Committee has arranged a meeting for Members of Congress Tuesday to learn from the Secret Service what lessons were learned and what investigations have already revealed about the security breach, which enabled the assassination attempt at a relatively close range.
Secret Service’s Cooperation with Congress
Cheatle stated that the Secret Service will “work with the appropriate Congressional committees on any oversight action.”
FBI’s Involvement and Initial Findings
The top Republicans and Democrats in the House Homeland Security Committee spoke extensively with FBI Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells on Monday to learn about the plans to investigate the incident.
Focus of the FBI Investigation
Wells said that the FBI’s Pittsburgh office is investigating the “potential domestic terrorism and the attempted assassination of President Trump.” The FBI had already, as of Monday, conducted 100 interviews and had on its property the gunman’s phone.
Separate Roles of Secret Service and FBI
The Secret Service and the FBI are working on different elements of the investigation. The FBI’s focus is on the shooter, his motive, and actions, while the Secret Service is investigating the breach of security and how the shooter had access to the former President and the crowd at the event.
Plans for Site Visit by House Homeland Security Chairman
Once security and law enforcement have processed the crime scene, House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green from Tennessee said he hopes to visit the site of the incident personally to better understand the series of events.
Inquiry into Security Resources
Green also sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking about potential updates and increases in security resources for Trump in light of the events. Reports have circulated that Trump requested and was denied additional security support.
Secret Service’s Response to Security Support Claims
The Secret Service responded to these reports, calling them “untrue….false.” They countered that the Secret Service had ramped up its security resources for Trump as his campaign activity had likewise increased.
Senate’s Bipartisan Investigation
The Senate is also pursuing its investigations, convening a bipartisan investigation into the attempted assassination.
Senator Gary Peters from Michigan is leading the Senate bipartisan investigation and said, “We’re going to be doing a bipartisan investigation from the Committee on Homeland Security to look at the events that occurred and determine whether or not there were security breaches we need to close.”
