Task Force will be sending follow-up requests to Secret Service
Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Ranking Member Jason Crow (D-CO) issued the following joint statement following on yesterday’s site assessment of the Butler Farm Show grounds, the American Glass Research (AGR) property in Butler, and meetings with state and local law enforcement entities that responded alongside the Secret Service during the July 13 attempted assassination of former president Donald J. Trump:
“The site assessments and meetings in Butler with law enforcement provided the Task Force with greater insight into the security failures of July 13. What we saw and heard underscored concerns about multiple security shortcomings and the lack of a common understanding among local law enforcement officials about exactly how the Secret Service intended to address a threat like one the that developed. The valuable information gathered yesterday adds to the Task Force’s work over the past weeks and will be used to press the Secret Service and other federal entities to provide necessary documents and interviews as we return to Washington. We plan to send the Secret Service a follow-up request for documents soon. We will continue to seek accountability and work to ensure the events of July 13 never happen again. We want to thank law enforcement and other local officials for meeting with us,” said Chairman Kelly and Ranking Member Crow.
During the site assessment, Task Force members met with local law enforcement officials to gain firsthand knowledge relevant to the Task Force’s ongoing investigation into the events leading up to and on July 13. Members assessed the Butler Farm Show grounds and American Glass Research (AGR) building to better understand how the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was able to attempt to assassinate former President Trump. In addition to former President Trump’s injuries, one person was killed and two others were seriously wounded during the shooting.
Members participating in the site assessment include Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA), Ranking Member Jason Crow (D-CO), Reps. Laurel Lee (R-FL), David Joyce (R-OH), Lou Correa (D-CA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).
BACKGROUND
On July 29, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the formation of the bipartisan Task Force. The Task Force is empowered with all investigative authority of the House of Representatives, including subpoena authority. For the remainder of this Congress, it will assume control and jurisdiction over all pending House committee investigations regarding the Trump assassination attempt.
This is the only official Task Force authorized by Congress to investigate the attempted assassination of former president Donald J. Trump.
On August 12, 2024, the Task Force sent two investigation letters requesting documents and information related to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. The first letter is addressed to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe. The second letter is addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
The Task Force has received briefings from the Secret Service regarding the July 13 assassination attempt and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding its criminal investigation of the shooting. The Task Force is using the information acquired in those briefings to inform additional requests for documents, following up on its August 12 letters to federal agencies.
The goal of the Task Force is threefold:
- To understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination
- To ensure accountability
- To prevent such an agency failure from ever happening again
The Task Force will make recommendations for reform to the relevant government agencies and recommend any necessary legislation to implement the reforms.
