First appearance on FOXMore than two dozen Texas lawmakers are calling on the House Oversight Committee to investigate the “political rhetoric” used against former President Trump in the investigation into the assassination attempt that nearly took his life.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has opened an investigation into the assassination attempt after the former president was shot in the ear at a campaign rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Republican Rep. Ellen Troxclair of Texas led a letter to the committee and its chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, on Wednesday urging them to also investigate “the grotesque portrayal of President Trump and the tens of millions of Americans who support him as an ‘enemy’ or a ‘threat to democracy’ in the wake of the assassination attempt.”
“The American people are entitled to answers,” the lawmakers wrote, first expressing their gratitude to the commission that launched an investigation into this deadly incident. “At the very least, we need to understand how the assassination attempt happened and what will be done to ensure it never happens again.”
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Former President Trump raises his fist as he is hurriedly escorted off the stage during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Republicans then called on Congress to “include in the hearings an investigation into the political rhetoric used during this presidential campaign and how it contributed to the heightened threat of political violence.”
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House Oversight Chairman James Comer has opened an investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Trump. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“While we are fortunate to live in a country where freedom of speech is guaranteed by our constitution, the continued existence of this heated rhetoric has a clear and damaging impact on our country,” the letter read. “The Oversight Committee is now in a unique position to raise attention to the impact this has on the American people and return us to a forum of honest political debate focused on policy positions.”
Troxclair, who represents Texas’ 19th Congressional District, wrote in the letter along with 26 other Texas representatives and 2024 candidates.
Former President Trump is surrounded by Secret Service agents after a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, a recently announced candidate for President Trump’s 2024 presidential nominee, used the assassination attempt to pin the blame on President Biden.
“The Biden campaign’s central argument is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs. This rhetoric directly led to the assassination attempt on President Trump,” Vance wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the shooting at the Trump rally.
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The Oversight Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the assassination attempt on June 22.
