Mars, Pennsylvania – A Pennsylvania state representative whose district includes the Butler Farm Show has accused national media of “victimizing” local police and emergency responders after last month’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Republican state Rep. Aaron Bernstein, who represents Butler and Lawrence counties, said Saturday that the media is unfairly criticizing Butler County and other local agencies, adding that the U.S. Secret Service bears responsibility for the breakdown in security.
“Our first responders have been abandoned by the national media in this incident, which is completely inappropriate,” Bernstein told Fox News Digital. “They did everything they were supposed to do, they took every precaution. This is a complete failure by the United States Secret Service, both tactically and in terms of communications.”
Bernstein said his office has been responding to an increase in constituent issues as news media, federal agencies and lawmakers have descended on northwestern Pennsylvania since the shooting.
A Democratic official who visited Butler said local officials told him “we need to have more conversations” about the USSS’s failures.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, was quickly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“That being said, we have great people here. This is a great conservative area. I couldn’t be prouder to represent these people,” Burstyn said.
“What happened has absolutely nothing to do with the local police, who did everything that was asked of them and we are very proud of their work. This was a complete security failure by the US Secret Service.”
Bernstein added that he and the state Legislature (now in recess) had initially planned to hold hearings after the deadly rally, but the Legislature’s reaction changed his mind.
“Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are committed to doing everything in their power to find out what happened and ensure this never happens again,” Bernstein said, adding that he believes Speaker Johnson’s swift response to this tragic incident meant the city of Harrisburg did not need to get involved.
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Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) held a press conference in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 22. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“My original plan when this horrible thing happened was to have hearings and to get people to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. My position on that has changed,” he said.
Kelly, who represents Butler and Erie, participated in a bipartisan tour of Congress that included the rally site and is currently leading a House select committee investigating the assassination attempt.
Bernstein said he and other lawmakers believe House Republicans are devoting sufficient resources to their own investigation, but that many in Harrisburg are willing to cooperate if asked.
After years of total Republican control, Democrats now have a one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, while Republicans maintain comfortable control of the state Senate.
Bernstein, who was first elected during the 2016 Trump wave, said he has urged Republican candidates to return to his district when they are ready.
“The hardships our community has experienced are indescribable, but in light of what has happened, we welcome President Trump back and look forward to having him back.”
“We’re going to have a large rally where safety is the number one priority for President Trump.”
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Pennsylvania Representative Aaron Bernstein represents parts of Lawrence and Butler counties. (Office of State Representative Aaron Bernstein/Pennsylvania House of Representatives)
Trump held his first event in Pennsylvania since the shooting last week, speaking to a packed crowd at the Pennsylvania Agricultural Show west of Harrisburg.
In his speech, the former president joked that the crowds and the complex, which similarly fills to capacity each January for the century-old agricultural festival, reminded him of Madison Square Garden.
During the interview, Bernstein also paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, a Butler-area firefighter who was killed by attempted assassin Thomas Crooks.
“[He was] “He’s our neighbor and he’s a guy who’s given so much to the community,” Bernstein said. “This is obviously a huge burden on our community and a really huge burden on this whole country, and that’s why I’ve been doing everything I can to help, first of all, our community.”
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“But in addition to that, [we must] I support the efforts underway in Congress to understand what happened, why it happened, who was involved, and what can be done to prevent this from happening again.”
