Task Force Investigates Trump Assassination Attempt with Sobering Visit to Butler, PA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The task force investigating the attempted assassination of President Trump visited the scene of the shooting Monday. The bipartisan group, which House leaders appointed, made its first public appearance touring the rally site in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Members of Congress from different sides of the aisle came together Monday with one mission.
"Getting to the truth is a slow process and for us, none of us are looking at it as we have to get a quick answer. We have to get the right answer," said Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA).
The task force, co-chaired by Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly and Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, was on-site at the farm show grounds where Trump's rally took a tragic turn on July 13th.
Task force members climbed the roof where gunman Thomas Crooks opened fire on the Republican presidential candidate.
"I definitely took note today that there were a lot of lines of sight that appear to have been unsecured that day, that didn't have eyes on," said Crow.
From that vantage point, Crow and other task force members felt a sobering sense of just how close the shooter was to the stage where a bullet struck and injured the former president and another claimed the life of rally attendee Corey Comperatore.
The task force was appointed a month ago by a unanimous House vote. In that time, they've interviewed the FBI and local and state law enforcement and will continue talking with people who attended the rally.
Secret Service failures led to Director Kimberly Cheatle's resignation and at least five other members have been placed on leave.
Tim Miller, a former Secret Service agent says more needs to be done and many questions need answers.
"Why weren't tactical teams communicating immediately with each other? Why weren't police officers who identified the threat based on civilians seeing a guy on the roof with a rifle?" Miller asked.
As task force members assessed the Butler grounds, some Republican members of Congress held their own forum in Washington, led by Florida congressman and former sniper Cory Mills. "The purpose of this hearing is to make sure that we have the ability to ask the questions that are necessary to get transparency," said Mills.
The group heard from security experts at the Heritage Foundation, expressing doubts about the bipartisan task force's ability to come to a thorough conclusion due to political considerations.
"If we are not selecting people based on meritocracy, that independent investigations such as this will continue to move forward," said Mills.
At the forum, Arizona Rep. Eli Crane said he's introducing legislation calling on Secret Service agents to surrender their records from July 14th. However, the official task force currently has the only authority in the House to issue subpoenas.
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