Sen. Ron Johnson has accused the FBI and Secret Service of obstructing the Senate investigation into last month’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Senator Johnson (R-Wis.), who is participating in the bipartisan Senate investigation into the assassination attempt on President Trump, has alleged that the FBI and Secret Service are complicating the investigation by handing over redacted documents on the day of key interviews.
“All I can say is the Secret Service and the FBI are basically footing the gas. They’re stonewalling us,” Johnson complained on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“From my perspective, we haven’t gotten anything from the Secret Service or the FBI. We’ve asked them for all of the 302 forms, all of the records of interviews with hundreds of individuals. They haven’t even given that to us.”
Many groups are investigating how suspect Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, climbed onto a rooftop on July 13 and fired eight shots, including one that sliced through Trump’s right ear and left him bleeding.
The shooting killed firefighter Corey Comperatore, 50, and seriously injured two other protesters, David Duch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74. Crooks was shot and killed by police.
“If you want to design an investigation to sow suspicion and spread conspiracy theories, this is the way to do it,” Johnson added. “I’m astonished that they would send the body for cremation before anyone had seen the autopsy or toxicology results.”
“It just fuels suspicion and conspiracy theories.”
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Mich.), who is leading the Senate investigation into the assassination attempt, was Johnson’s former chairman.
Additionally, investigations are also underway by a newly established bipartisan House task force and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
The Secret Service has come under intense scrutiny for security lapses before the attack.
The fateful rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was the closest a shooting to killing a sitting or former U.S. president since the 1981 attempted shooting of former President Ronald Reagan.
Kimberly Cheatle resigned as director of the Secret Service last month amid a wave of political pressure, a fiasco that has led to at least five Secret Service agents being transferred to administrative positions and removed from operational planning. ABC News reported..
The Washington Post has contacted both the FBI and the Secret Service for comment.
“They are the only ones who have access to this information until they decide what information to give us and when. They have complete control,” Johnson further complained.
The FBI said any suggestion that the bureau was “interfering” with the congressional investigation into the assassination was “inaccurate and unfounded.”
“We followed standard procedures in handling the crime scene and evidence. The FBI continues to conduct a thorough investigation to gain as complete information as possible about what led to this shooting and is committed to maximum transparency as we share information with Congress,” an FBI spokesperson told The Post when asked about Johnson’s comments.
As for Mr Johnson’s complaints about Mr Crooks’ body being handed over for cremation, a spokesman insisted it was “in line with normal procedure”.
The Senate is currently in recess but is due to return next month.
