The Secret Service briefed lawmakers on Wednesday that former President Trump was given presidential-level security when he thwarted an assassination attempt last weekend.
The House Select Committee investigating the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, received a briefing from the USSS following the incident on the former president's golf course on Sunday.
At the briefing, officials told House lawmakers that Trump was given nearly the same protections given to President Biden during his second attempt, which were put in place after the July 13 shooting that injured Trump and killed one attendee.
“The president was interviewed as a sitting president, just as he was last Sunday, and today he is consulting primarily with the Secret Service,” Sen. Mike Kelly (R-Pennsylvania), the committee's chairman, told reporters after the briefing.
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The Special Investigative Task Force on Assassination Attempts against President Trump, led by Reps. Mike Kelly and Jason Crow, is currently investigating Sunday's incident. (Getty Images)
“I felt that the Secret Service responded today in the same way they did last Sunday when President Trump was a sitting president.”
“It is my understanding that President Biden has ordered the Secret Service to provide the same level of security to the VP and vice president starting July 13th,” Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, the committee's top Democrat, told reporters. [Kamala] “For Ms Harris and former President Trump, that security is being provided, and is presidential level security equivalent to what the president receives.”
A spokesperson for the task force told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the USSS told lawmakers that Trump has “the same” protections as Biden.
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A panoramic view of the fenced-in area near the sixth hole at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where Ryan Routh allegedly ambushed former President Trump on Sunday. (Peter Burke/Fox News Digital)
“There are some specialized assets available only to the commander and commander in chief, but the rest of the security remains at the same level,” the spokesman explained.
“They also told us that the level of security he had on Sunday was essentially the same as when he was a sitting president, and that many of the properties he owned while president were in West Palm Beach.”
Wednesday's briefing was the task force's first since the USSS found suspect Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, in bushes near where President Trump was playing golf in West Palm Beach.
The shooting at a Trump rally on July 13 has already sparked increased scrutiny of the USSS and prompted a debate about whether elected officials are being adequately protected in today's hyper-partisan environment.
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Acting Director of the U.S. Secret Service Ronald Rowe Jr. has been asked for an explanation. (Mega from Fox News Digital)
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The incident prompted accusations of political violence from both the right and the left.
A bipartisan House task force initially created to focus only on the July 13 shooting is currently investigating both incidents.
The task force is also seeking clarification from the FBI regarding Sunday's arrests.
