GOP lawmakers promise investigation into shooting at Trump rally

Emily Brooks and The Hill

3 hours ago

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he leaves the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Republicans in Congress are promising investigations and at least one hearing into the alleged assassination attempt on former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with much of the attention focused on the Secret Service.

“THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WILL CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS TODAY,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote in a post on the social media site X.

“The American people have a right to know the truth. We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other relevant DHS and FBI officials appear before our committees as soon as possible,” Johnson said.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) immediately called on Cheatle to testify about the shooting at a hearing on July 22.

“The tremendous courage of the individual U.S. Secret Service agents who protected President Trump, eliminated the shooter, and potentially prevented even more loss of life cannot be overstated,” Comer said in a letter to Cheatle on Saturday evening.

Comer also asked that the Secret Service brief the committee on the shooting. The Secret Service agreed, a source told The Hill.

“Political violence in any form is un-American and unacceptable. There are many questions and Americans demand answers,” Comer said in a statement.

The House Homeland Security Committee also stated in a post on X that it had contacted the Secret Service and requested an official briefing for its members.

“We are grateful for the courage and quick response of intelligence agents. We will conduct thorough monitoring to ensure the American people receive answers,” the Homeland Security Committee said.

Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) is pushing for a hearing on the matter in the Democratic-dominated Senate.

“The Senate Homeland Security Committee must investigate this assassination and attempted mass murder and find out how it happened,” Hawley posted on X on Sunday.

Senator Rick Scott (Republican of Florida) also called for a hearing in the Senate – before the August recess.

“It is a miracle that President Trump is alive and well, but it is absolutely inexcusable that the deranged would-be assassin had direct contact with the former President and leading U.S. presidential candidate,” Scott said in a statement. “The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has an oversight duty and obligation to the American people to demand answers from the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service about how this happened and what steps are being taken to investigate this assassination attempt and ensure it never happens again.”

At least one Democrat is calling for a congressional investigation.

“I support the need for an investigation,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), a member of the Oversight Panel, wrote on X.

Trump said in a statement that a bullet “pierced” his right ear. Video of the rally shows Secret Service officers quickly pulling the former president into cover and ushering him off the stage.

Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service communications director, said in a statement Sunday evening that the suspected gunman “fired multiple shots at the stage from an elevated position outside the rally site.”

“US Secret Service personnel responded quickly with protective measures and the former president is safe and under investigation. One bystander was killed, two bystanders were seriously injured,” Guglielmi said.

The Secret Service did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the hearing invitation and briefing requests.

The FBI said in a statement later Sunday that it had assumed the role of lead law enforcement agency in the investigation into the incident.