Republican lawmakers have pledged to hold an investigation and at least one hearing into the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, with much of their attention focused on the Secret Service.
“The House of Representatives will today conduct a full investigation into this tragic incident,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said in a post on the social media site X.
“The American people have a right to know the truth, and we will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and appropriate officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI appear at a committee hearing as soon as possible,” Johnson said.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) quickly request Cheatle is scheduled to testify at a hearing on the shooting on July 22.
“It cannot be emphasized enough the extraordinary bravery of the individual U.S. Secret Service agents who protected President Trump, removed the shooter, and likely prevented further casualties,” Comer wrote in a letter to Cheatle on Saturday night.
Comer also asked that the committee receive a report on the shooting from the Secret Service, which agreed, sources told The Hill.
“Political violence in any form is un-American and unacceptable. There are many questions, and Americans want answers,” Comer said in a statement.
The House Homeland Security Committee also said in a post on X that it had contacted the Secret Service to request an official briefing for committee members.
“We thank the Secret Service for their bravery and swift response, and we will be conducting thorough vigilance to ensure the American people get answers,” the Homeland Security Committee said.Said.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) has called for hearings on the issue in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
“The Senate Homeland Security Committee must investigate this assassination attempt and attempted mass murder and determine how it happened,” Hawley said. Posts On Sunday at X.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has also called for a Senate hearing, asking that it be held before the August recess.
“It is a miracle that President Trump is alive and well, but it is absolutely unacceptable that this crazed assassin had a direct line of sight to a former president and a front-runner for president of the United States,” Scott said in a statement. “The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) has an oversight responsibility and obligation to the American people to hold the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service to an account of how this happened and what steps are being taken to investigate this assassination attempt and ensure it never happens again.”
At least one Democratic lawmaker has voiced support for a congressional investigation.
“I support the need for an investigation,” said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), a member of the Oversight Committee.PostsAbout X.
Trump said in a statement that a bullet had “lost” his right ear. Video from the rally showed Secret Service agents quickly covering Trump and rushing him off the stage.
Secret Service public affairs director Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement Sunday night that the suspect “fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside the rally venue.”
“US Secret Service agents immediately took protective measures and the former president is safe and undergoing examination. One spectator was killed and two were seriously injured,” Guglielmi said.
The Secret Service did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the hearing invitation and request for clarification.
The FBI said in a statement late Sunday that it had taken on a lead law enforcement role in investigating the case.
