The House task force investigating the assassination attempts against former President Trump will hold its first hearing on Thursday, focusing on the July 13 shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The House task force investigating the assassination attempts against former President Trump is holding its first hearing on Thursday. The hearing will focus on the July 13 shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a rooftop, killing one attendee and injuring others. Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet and was quickly evacuated offstage by Secret Service agents.
The task force, led by Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and ranking member Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., has already sent out a flurry of information and document requests to local, state and federal officials. Lawmakers hope to get to the bottom of how Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to position himself so close to the rally with his weapon despite being noticed by some attendees and even local officials long before he opened fire.
House Task Force to Hold First Hearing on Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
"The communication failures on the day of the event were clearly catastrophic [and] led to what we saw happen that day. So, I anticipate we're going to hear testimony from people who were there, who were part of that process, who can give us information about how those breakdowns occurred," Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., a task force member, said on "Fox News Live" Sunday.
The hearing comes a day after the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released a damning interim report detailing planning and security failures that occurred July 13. The report said the Secret Service did not have an adequate chain of command in place for approving security decisions ahead of the rally and failed to coordinate security specifically in relation to the building the shooter fired from. It accused the Secret Service Counter Sniper Team leader of not going inside or on top of the building and said a sniper team charged with monitoring the area had an obstructed view, among other issues.
House Task Force to Hold First Hearing on Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
The task force was assembled after unanimous approval in the House, a rare feat in today's partisan environment. Its scope was just expanded last week after a foiled second alleged attempt on Trump’s life, this time while the ex-president was golfing at his own course in West Palm Beach.
Witnesses at Thursday's hearing will include Edward Lenz, commander of the Butler County Emergency Services Unit; Butler Township Police Patrolman Drew Blasko; Pennsylvania State Police Lt. John Herold; former Secret Service agent Patrick Sullivan; and the Allegheny County medical examiner, Dr. Ariel Goldschmidt.
House Task Force to Hold First Hearing on Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump
The task force has a broad mandate to investigate all aspects of the assassination attempts, including the planning, security, and response. The task force is expected to issue a report on its findings and recommendations later this year.
