Congressman Mark Kelly, chair of the bipartisan task force investigating the Trump assassination attempt, pledged unwavering determination to uncover the truth during a visit to the shooting site in Pennsylvania. Acknowledging a profound loss of trust in government, Kelly emphasized the task force's commitment to transparency and accountability, regardless of the severity of findings.
Congressman Mark Kelly, the Republican chair of the bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempt on former President Trump, vowed on Tuesday to "get the truth" after the group visited the shooting site in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Bipartisan Task Force Vows Truth and Accountability After Trump Assassination Attempt
Kelly, who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, joined "America's Newsroom" to discuss the task force's mission to restore American's faith and trust in government after the security lapse that allowed the gunman, Thomas Crooks, to open fire at a Trump rally on July 13.
"I do believe the American people can handle the truth, and we're going to get the truth for them," Kelly declared. "I think, too often in the past, nobody's ever come completely clean with what happened."
Bipartisan Task Force Vows Truth and Accountability After Trump Assassination Attempt
Kelly expressed concern about the seemingly inadequate preparation and coordination among law enforcement agencies before and during the rally. Witnesses reported seeing Crooks on the roof before the shooting, but no immediate response was taken.
"I just don't understand when you have the most elite groups of law enforcement people in the world, whose sole job is to protect that candidate, how could we have failed?" Kelly questioned. "So obviously, even people just walking by said, 'there's somebody on the roof.' I mean, why aren't we responding to that?"
Bipartisan Task Force Vows Truth and Accountability After Trump Assassination Attempt
Kelly attributed the security lapse to a loss of faith and trust in the government's ability to protect its citizens. He emphasized that the task force, composed of 13 members from both parties, is determined to uncover the truth, no matter how difficult or controversial.
"We identified ourselves as 13 Americans who are going to get the answers for the American people, give it to them straight, give it to them honest, I don't care how hard it is to listen to," Kelly said. "We've got to understand that we can never allow this to happen again."
Kelly's comments echoed concerns raised during his second visit to the shooting site on Monday. He questioned the lack of decisive action by law enforcement, despite a sniper reportedly having the gunman in his sights.
"I just want to know, who was quarterbacking it? Who was the one that made the decision? And when the sniper already had the shooter in his sights, and what we've heard so far, he was waiting to get authorization to take the shot," Kelly told Fox News Digital. "Some quarterback's got to make that call. If they're not making that call, the team can't move. And that's what I see here. It was kind of frozen for a while."
The task force's investigation is ongoing, and Kelly promised to hold all responsible parties accountable for any failures that contributed to the security breach. He emphasized the importance of learning from past mistakes to prevent future tragedies.
"The preparation in this case was very light, not deep enough, and it wasn't coordinated," Kelly said. "Preparation for anything is the key to a successful ending."
