Top House Democrats on bipartisan tour of Butler Farm Show in Pennsylvania, In the near-assassination of former President Trump, he said, rank-and-file law enforcement officials seem hesitant to speak publicly about “who is responsible.”
Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said officers who serve on the force are “fantastic people” and that the chaos that led to the fatal crash earlier this month demonstrates a severe lack of cooperation between agencies.
Governor Correa praised Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Chief Christopher Parris for speaking out during Tuesday’s hearing, adding that local officials and police in the Butler area who he met with on Monday also deserve praise.
Correa said local officials approached him during a closed-door congressional tour and told him they needed to tell him more about what they had seen there.
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U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testifies before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, July 22, 2024, at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Congressman Lou Correa speaks at a press conference. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“Several people there implied to me that locals all seemed reluctant to come out and voice their opinions,” he said, “but one person said they weren’t sure who was in charge.”
“Local supervisors and council members have said we need to have more conversations. You (councillors) need to hear more about what did and didn’t happen. They weren’t here. [in Washington]”Their opinions and thoughts need to be heard. They are the ones who are going to face reality, so to speak,” he said.
Correa added that by comparison, the Secret Service is a smaller organization with about 3,600 agents, while Paris said the PSP employs about 6,000 people.
“Local police and state police really are a force multiplier and in this case there are some things we can do to improve the process,” Correa said.
After the House hearing with Paris and a trip to northwestern Pennsylvania, he said the best thing to do was to “go back to square one and really start looking at guidelines, at the Secret Service, what they do, how we respond to and work with local public safety agencies.”
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Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) speaks with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) at the Butler Agricultural Show in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“This is the first time something like this has happened in 40 years,” he said, referring to the shooting of former President Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. outside the Washington Hilton.
“I think a lot has changed in the last 40 years, probably the procedures, the circumstances, the environment. I think we need to ask the Secret Service some tough questions, not because they’ve done a bad job, but because we’re expected to score 100 percent,” Correa said.
Asked about the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle early Tuesday, Correa said, in effect, “resignation doesn’t solve anything.”
“Apparently she had poor grades. [Monday’s] “I am not attending the hearing,” he said. “Her resignation does nothing to resolve the issue. I am going to focus on resolving the issue.”
ox News Digital also asked the California native about his former colleague from state government, Vice President Kamala Harris, who has reportedly garnered enough delegate support to be considered the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.
Correa, who served as a California Assembly member when Kamala Harris was attorney general, said the important lesson isn’t just his own but that of other Californians and Americans.
“The issue isn’t the response of Congressman-elect Lew. I think a better measure of the answer to your question is enthusiasm,” he said, noting that the Harris campaign has raised nearly $90 million since President Biden dropped out of the race.
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House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark E. Green (R-Tenn.) spoke to reporters alongside U.S. representatives at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 22, 2024. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
“It’s totally unexpected,” he said.
“As a Congressman, or former State Senator, I can tell you that I worked with Kamala when she was Attorney General. I’ve seen her work on issues like funding DNA rape testing kits to solve sexual assault crimes. I’ve seen her work, and I’m excited that her record will be made available to the people of this country,” he said.
“You have a former attorney general, a former head of California police, both of whom are now campaigning on their own credentials, so this will be a nice, refreshing change in terms of dynamics.”
Correa added that he had heard the age criticism had shifted from Biden to Trump, but joked that “we older people have something to contribute, too.”
Rep. Correa was one of three Democrats on the House committee who visited the site of the assassination attempt. The other two, Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Glenn Ivey of Maryland, participated in Tuesday’s hearing.
