Members of the bipartisan congressional task force established to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump promised Monday to get to the bottom of the security failures of that day even if it may be a “slow process,” after the group toured the Pennsylvania rally site where the shooting took place.
Accompanied by local law enforcement, including the Butler County Sheriff and Pennsylvania state police, lawmakers walked the Butler Farm Show grounds where the July 13 rally was held, going first to the area where Trump took the stage and was shot at. The lawmakers then made their way across a small field to a cluster of buildings and climbed on top of the roof where the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired from.
During a news conference in front of the field where the rally was held, members of the task force repeatedly said their goal was not to jump to conclusions about the failures that day but rather to get at the heart of who was responsible for them.
“Getting to the truth is a slow process,” said task force Chairman Mike Kelly, whose district includes Butler.
The bipartisan task force, made up of six Democrats and seven Republicans, was approved by the House in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 416 to 0, but the appointment comes at a fraught political time as members work to prove to both parties that they’re thoroughly investigating the attempted assassination.
While House Speaker Mike Johnson and Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries have called for members to put politics aside on the investigation, a group of ardent Trump allies on the Hill held their own forum Monday in Washington, DC, lambasting federal officials and calling for quick and strong accountability.
Kelly also said it was “too early” to determine whether there was criminal negligence from those involved in the failures that day.
“Let’s make sure that we’re sure when we say something, because this has lasting effects on people,” Kelly said, criticizing other lawmakers who have been quick to call for severe actions against federal law enforcement involved in that day.
Rep. Lou Correa said the task force is still working to determine who, ultimately, was responsible for decisions made around security planning, saying that Trump’s security staff in his campaign played a role.
“The campaign had a lot to do” with planning, Correa said, questioning whether the Secret Service or the campaign has ultimate say in certain security preparation.
Ranking member Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger, highlighted the bipartisan nature of the task force. The 13 lawmakers have until mid-December to issue a final report and recommendations in the investigation.
“You don’t have to be a Democrat or a Republican to say there’s no room for political violence,” Crow said, adding that the group was focused on a “full, thorough investigation.”
Multiple representatives also noted how impacted they were by seeing in person just how close Crooks was able to get to Trump the day of the shooting.
“What’s impressive to me is the proximity of everything here, particularly the position of the shooter and the position of the president,” said Rep. Madeleine Dean.
Separately, in Washington, DC, a group of conservative congressmen held a counterprogramming event on their separate efforts to investigate the assassination attempt, despite not having any significant investigative power and not being affiliated with the task force.
“While this is the first hearing of its kind to come together, it won’t be the last,” said Rep. Cory Mills, who hosted the event alongside fellow Republican Reps. Andy Biggs, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz and Chip Roy.
Mills said, “that if we are not selecting people based on meritocracy, that independent investigations such as this will continue to move forward, that there are members and conservatives who will not be silenced, and that we will continue to strive for accountability in government, as well as transparency for America.”
CNN’s Haley Talbot and Morgan Rimmer contributed to this report.
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