Democratic lawmakers in House task force investigating attempted assassination Former President Donald Trump The final portion of the panel’s first hearing Thursday was abandoned, including two Republicans who were conducting their own “parallel” investigations into the shooting.
Representatives Eli Crane, R-Ariz., and Corey Mills, R-Fla., two Republicans and both military veterans, attended the second part of the hearing, but the Democratic minority was angry behind the scenes that their leadership was not informed by Fox. News sources said his testimony will continue Wednesday afternoon. However, some Democratic lawmakers were not informed until Thursday morning.
The move was seen as the first bipartisan split in the so-far united effort to investigate the incident.
The Trump assassination attempt task force, led by Representatives Mike Kelly, inset left, and Jason Crow, inset right, has formally launched an investigation. (Getty Images)
Asked about Mills and Crane, Crowe said, “We didn’t get notice of the second panel until late yesterday. We didn’t get a chance to present our witnesses.” “(Task Force Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa.) and I are still very committed to getting it done. Bipartisan, consensus-based“And my hope is that we can return to that … approach going forward.”
Kelly similarly told reporters that it would not hinder the task force’s bipartisan mission and invited Mills and Crane to testify because of their expertise, welcoming their assessments of the security perimeter for the rally.
He lamented the absence of Democrats during his portion of the hearing, suggesting that some members may have flown out of Washington, D.C., according to KTLA.
Kelly said of the members, “If you want to participate, you can participate. If you decide not to, you can make that decision too.”
The ranking Democrat on the panel, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said lawmakers were disappointed, but he clarified that was not the purpose of Thursday’s witnesses.
“We didn’t get notice of the second panel until late yesterday,” Crowe said. “It is not clear to us what testimony these witnesses will give that is relevant to today’s hearing.”
In the first part of the hearing, the panel heard from a former Secret Service agent, as well as local and state law enforcement officials who were present at the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where one attendee was killed and Trump himself was Shot in the ear.
Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., a military veteran, participated in the second part of the hearing. (David de Delgado)
Trump shooting: Timeline of assassination attempt raises questions about how gunman evaded security
Witnesses and lawmakers repeatedly indicated that a lack of clear communication of security plans from the Secret Service enabled the 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, to open fire on the rally from a rooftop just outside the security perimeter.
Kelly said, “In the days leading up to the rally, there was not a single mistake that allowed the crooks to overpower one of our nation’s most distinguished security professionals. There were security failures on multiple fronts.”
“Communication between the Secret Service and local and state partners was disjointed and unclear,” Crowe said. “it This was a mistake by the Secret Service, because the Secret Service is ultimately responsible for security in such incidents. He did not do his work. They did not provide clarity and guidance to local law enforcement. It was absolutely clear to me,” Crowe told reporters.
One bullet grazed Trump’s right ear, while firefighter Corey Comparatore was killed. Rally attendees James Copenhaver and David Dutch were also shot and wounded.
A major question is why there were no law enforcement personnel there On top of AGR building Where the crooks eventually climbed up and took their shots, given that it was very close to the rally stage and provided a clear line of sight to Trump.
Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said, “Looking at that satellite image a 10-year-old kid could see that the biggest threat to the president that day was the building near the stage.”
Former President Donald Trump seconds after an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Ivan Vucci)
The panel — which includes seven Republicans and six Democrats — has spent the past two months analyzing security failures at the rally, conducting nearly two dozen interviews with law enforcement and obtaining more than 2,800 pages of documents from the Secret Service.
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An interim report was released on Wednesday by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committeewhich is also conducting an investigation, said the Secret Service failed to provide clear instructions on how state and local officials should cover the building where the gunman ultimately took up position. The report also said the agency did not ensure it could share information with local partners in real time.
Several lawmakers indicated they are looking forward to hearing from Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rove again, especially after Congress recently allocated $230 million in additional funding for the agency.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
