Lawmakers are moving quickly to launch investigations into Trump’s assassination attempt

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional committees are moving quickly to investigate the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, which also saw one rally attendee killed and two others seriously injured.

Lawmakers are alarmed by how the would-be assassin was able to open fire from a rooftop 150 meters (164 yards) from the former president. President Joe Biden also directed an independent review of security at the rally.

A look at some of Monday’s actions as lawmakers sought to ensure their panels would play a leading role in the various follow-up investigations.

Chamber panel lines up first hearing

The first hearing on the shooting is scheduled for next Monday, July 22, with the director of the US Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle. She will testify before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.

“The United States Secret Service has a foolproof mission, but it failed on Saturday when a madman tried to assassinate President Trump, killed an innocent victim and injured others,” said Representative James Comer, the committee’s Republican chairman.

Comer said lawmakers were grateful to the Secret Service agents who acted quickly to protect Trump, “but questions remain about how a rooftop near President Trump became unsafe.”

Comer’s panel is not the only House committee taking action.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding he provide the plan to secure the perimeter of the event site, any communication on how to add to Trump’s security details and materials used to brief President Biden on the assassination attempt.

“The severity of this security breach and this frightening moment in our nation’s history cannot be underestimated,” Green wrote in his letter, which includes a request for information from committee members by July 22 at the latest.

Senate committees evaluate

Leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee announced Monday that they will also conduct an investigation.

First, they request information from the US Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. A public hearing and requests for documents will follow.

In a letter to Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray, the senators said they want to understand how the shooter managed to get so close to Trump and what steps the department is taking to “increase the protection of presidential candidates and ensure election security.”

Lawmakers also want to know what additional security requests have been made by the Trump campaign or protective team since November 15, 2022.

Senator Gary Peters, the committee’s Democratic chairman, and Rand Paul, the ranking Republican, said the briefing for members should take place before July 25, while a hearing will be requested as soon as possible, but no later than August 1st.

“This committee has an obligation to find the truth about the failures on Saturday and before, no matter how inconvenient it is for the government,” Paul said.

Committee members also sought to emphasize that the investigation would be bipartisan, as lawmakers from both parties requested it.

“As we move forward, we need to come together as Americans, reject baseless conspiracy theories on both sides, and focus on a fact-based effort to obtain all available information and ensure accountability so this never happens again,” said Senator Jackie. Rosen, D-Nev.

Meanwhile, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote to the panel’s chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., requesting a hearing with Cheatle, Mayorkas and Wray as witnesses.

“Our hearts are broken and our prayers are with those murdered and injured by this senseless violence,” the Republicans wrote. “President Durbin, we look forward to working with you to investigate this matter publicly and to bring answers and confidence in our system to the American people.”