WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — The House Homeland Security Committee hosted a hearing Tuesday to examine the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
Secret Service shot and killed the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, moments after the attempt on the former president’s life July 13 at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The FBI says the attack was the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris and Patrick Yoes, the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, testified before the House committee Tuesday.
Hearing opening statements
“This is very much an ongoing, complex and dynamic investigation. Each day, I learn multiple new facts as we uncover new information as the investigation progresses,” Paris said.
Paris provided background on PSP’s role on July 13, which he said was to support the Secret Service with personnel and assets that they requested. The operation plan consisted of 32 members. The two main responsibilities were to provide a motorcade operation for Trump’s transportation and manning and staffing security posts inside the secure area, Paris said. In addition, two marked cards with uniformed troopers were set up outside the secure perimeter to provide roaming duties, he said.
“Rarely does the public witness just how selfless these agents are placing themselves between blind bullets and their protectee,” Yoes said.
Yoes said he hopes his testimony can provide a perspective of state and local law enforcement’s assistance to federal agencies.
“Law enforcement agencies provide valuable community insight that can be crucial in identifying potential risks and issues,” Yoes argued.
Assassination attempt investigation
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Tuesday a bipartisan effort to investigate Trump’s assassination attempt quickly. Johnson said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries approved a House task force of seven Republicans and six Democrats to investigate.
“The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s task force is the latest effort to investigate the assassination attempt against Trump.
On Monday, a group of Republican lawmakers visited Butler, Pennsylvania, to get a firsthand look at the scene of Trump’s attempted assassination.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green led the trip as part of a bipartisan investigation into how the gunman was able to gain access to the rooftop from which he shot at Trump, saying the investigation has revealed some discrepancies between local and federal law enforcement.
“Normally, they put a person from the locals (law enforcement) in the Secret Service (control) area. Today, the locals shared with us that they were not allowed to have anybody in there. So, that makes you want to dig a little further right?” Green said during a Monday news conference.
Green also said they learned there was “very limited communication” between local law enforcement and U.S. Secret Service agents.
Secret Service performance under review
The visit and subsequent news conference took place at the same time Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified to the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill about the shooting.
Legislators repeatedly pushed Cheatle for specifics on the preparation for the rally, identities of agents involved and details about the ongoing investigation. She declined to answer questions about personnel and often failed to have detailed answers to the questions asked.
Now, amid an ongoing investigation into the shooting, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are calling for Cheatle’s resignation.
DHS launches bipartisan probe
An independent commission will also review the Secret Service’s performance before, during and after Trump’s assassination attempt.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the bipartisan commission members, including former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and several advisers to former President George W. Bush.
The panel will have 45 days to review the planning actions of the Secret Service, state and local authorities during the rally.
In a statement, commission members said, “We formed this bipartisan group to quickly identify improvements the U.S. Secret Service can implement to enhance their work. We must all work together to ensure events like July 13 do not happen again.”