Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, one of former President Trump’s closest allies in the Senate, on Wednesday called on the Biden administration to provide daily briefings on the investigation into the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, over the weekend.
“Our nation’s national security is being called into question, and the Biden Administration cannot wait until the investigation is complete before releasing details — it must start today,” Scott said in a statement.
He said it was “imperative” that FBI Director Christopher Wray, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas “hold daily press conferences to update the American people and answer their questions about what happened, who is being held responsible and how we can make sure this never happens again.”
His statement came shortly after Wray, Cheatle and other FBI and Secret Service officials briefed all senators on the investigation on Wednesday afternoon.
Other Republican senators expressed frustration over the failure of the Secret Service to stop the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, before he fired several shots, grazing President Trump, killing one rally attendee and seriously wounding two others.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has called for Cheatle to be replaced as director of the Secret Service.
“Last week’s near assassination attempt on former President Trump was a grave attack on American democracy. The public deserves accountability and responsibility. New leadership at the Secret Service will be an important step in that direction,” he said in a statement posted to social media.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) called the briefing “incredibly ill-informed” and immediately submitted a list of additional questions to the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.
He asked Biden administration officials to explain the extent of the security arrangements put in place for the Butler rally, the total number of FBI agents involved in security preparations for the rally, and the total number of state and law enforcement officers securing the venue.
He also asked for a detailed list of countermeasures deployed at the rally and an explanation of the testing procedures used.
Both Scott and Johnson serve on the Senate Homeland Security Committee.
