Hawley wants security investigation in Trump shooting. Here’s what has already started
Less than two hours after a bullet grazed former President Donald Trump’s ear at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, Sen. Josh Hawley was demanding an investigation.
The Missouri Republican, who immediately called for “justice” on social media, quickly criticized the Secret Service for failing to stop the closest attempted assassination of a president since 1981.
“Although we still do not have all the facts, the little that we do know suggests a staggering security failure,” Hawley wrote in a letter to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security. “...The details of this tragedy must be vigorously investigated by Congress, including the motive of the shooter and the serious operational failures that occurred on July 13.”
Hawley’s call was echoed by Republicans and Democrats alike – and will likely result in several Congressional hearings probing the security failings that allowed a shooter to come within an inch of assassinating the likely Republican presidential nominee.
In the aftermath of the shooting, as some Missouri Republicans were praising Secret Service officers for their quick response to get Trump off the stage and to safety, Hawley has called for the head of Secret Service to appear before Congress and he’s called on the Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to testify. He said any hearings about the security failings should be public and has called for someone to resign.
Those hearings already appear to be in the works. While Congress is away this week because of the Republican National Convention, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security has announced it will hold a hearing on the shooting, as has the House Committee on Homeland Security. The House Oversight Committee will likely hold a hearing with members of the Secret Service.
An FBI investigation
There is an open, ongoing investigation into the shooting by the FBI. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed on the investigation several times as the agency tries to track down why 20-year-old Thomas Crooks fired at Trump.
Crooks is a registered Republican in Allegheny County and appears to have acted alone. Campaign finance reports show that he donated to a progressive cause in 2021 when he was 17, which is before he registered as a Republican.
Biden said he has ordered the investigation to be swift, but the FBI has released little publicly about any potential motive.
“We don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter,” Biden said Sunday afternoon. “We know who he is. I urge everyone -- everyone, please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or his affiliations.”
Biden also called for an independent review into the security failings that allowed Crooks to get in a position to shoot Trump.
A BBC report from the rally indicated that some witnesses may have pointed out the shooter to Secret Service officers before he fired at Trump. And The Washington Post found that the Secret Service, which increasingly relies on local partners, may have had a breakdown in communication with local law enforcement who were supposed to secure the area around the event site.
Congressional investigations
In the meantime, Republicans in Congress are demanding documents.
Rep. Mark Green, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, has asked the Department of Homeland Security for several documents, including the plan to secure the rally site and communications between the White House and Homeland Security about increasing Trump’s security detail.
“As the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) investigates, the Committee on Homeland Security (Committee) is dedicated to conducting rigorous oversight to ensure that the American people receive answers and presidential candidates receive proper and adequate protection,” Green wrote in a letter to Mayorkas.
Green has not yet announced when the Homeland Security Committee will hold its hearing. But the Secret Service will testify in front of the House Oversight Committee on July 22nd.
Rep. Jamie Comer, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the committee, announced a hearing that will feature Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle.
“We are grateful to the brave Secret Service agents who acted quickly to protect President Trump after shots were fired and the American patriots who sought to help victims, but questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecure,” Comer said. “Americans demand answers from Director Kimberly Cheatle about these security lapses and how we can prevent this from happening again.”
This story was originally published July 15, 2024 at 5:18 PM.
