In response to the shocking shooting at a Trump rally that left one person dead and Trump himself injured, the House of Representatives has voted unanimously to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the assassination attempt.
The House of Representatives has voted unanimously to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The task force will be comprised of seven Republicans and six Democrats, with the members likely being announced this week.
The vote was bipartisan, as expected, as the hours following the shooting prompted a flurry of bipartisan condemnations against political violence, as well as scrutiny of the security situation that allowed a 20-year-old gunman with a rifle onto a rooftop just outside the rally perimeter.
House Establishes Commission to Investigate Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump
"The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life are shocking," Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a joint statement on Tuesday. "In response to bipartisan demands for answers, we are announcing a House Task Force made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats to thoroughly investigate the matter."
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.
House Establishes Commission to Investigate Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump
FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed key details about the Trump shooter's stash of explosives and weapons, including a rifle, ammunition, and a backpack containing explosive materials.
The resolution was led by Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., whose district the shooting took place in and who was in attendance but unharmed. Johnson told Fox News Digital in an interview last week that he wanted the panel to reach a conclusion as soon as possible, in part to prevent conspiracy theories from spreading.
House Establishes Commission to Investigate Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump
"Some of those rumors have begun already, and we have to address that immediately," he said. "The idea of a task force is that we can have sort of a precision group or unit that goes to work on this immediately. It'll be bipartisan and will have subpoena authority. I think that's going to be very important to get the answers as quickly as possible."
The bipartisan scrutiny of the security situation forced U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign on Tuesday.
House Establishes Commission to Investigate Attempted Assassination of Former President Trump
The commission will investigate the security failures that allowed the gunman to evade security and open fire on the rally. It will also examine the gunman's motives and whether he had any accomplices.
The commission is expected to issue a report with its findings and recommendations within six months.
