Washington — A bipartisan House task force is investigating. assassination attempt opposed to before President Donald Trump A report released early Monday found the incident was “preventable,” detailing communication and planning deficiencies.
In its 53-page interim report, the panel explained that “the evidence the Task Force has obtained to date shows that the tragic and shocking events of July 13 were preventable and should not have occurred.”
“This investigation clearly demonstrates a lack of planning and coordination between the Secret Service and law enforcement partners prior to the rally,” the task force said, noting that its findings were preliminary.
House Leader presentation Members of the bipartisan task force after the House meeting July 29. voted It has established a panel tasked with investigating what went wrong on July 13 while making recommendations to prevent similar attacks from occurring. The panel consists of seven Republicans and six Democrats. Lawmakers are expected to submit a final report on their findings by Dec. 13, and several investigations are ongoing by lawmakers, law enforcement and federal agencies investigating the shooting.
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On July 13, while President Trump was speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman opened fire and the bullet grazed former President Trump’s ear. One protest attendee died and two were injured. secret agent sniper I shot and killed the shooter.Confirmed to be 20 years old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
According to the report, the task force received relevant information from other House committees, conducted 23 recorded interviews with witnesses from state and local agencies, and obtained evidence in response to three subpoenas to federal, state, and local agencies. .
The panel’s findings report found “inadequate planning and coordination” prior to the Butler rally, and claimed no meetings were held between federal and local law enforcement on the day of the event and responsibility was not “effectively” identified. Secret Service. The panel also noted that there is no “unified command center” for communications between the Secret Service and state and local partners. And witnesses who took part in a tour of the area in the days before the assassination attempt described it as disorderly.
Lawmakers explained that “disrupted communication lines” allowed the gunman to “evade law enforcement” by climbing to the roof of a nearby building and firing eight shots. And the report notes that “federal, state, and local law enforcement officials could have employed Thomas Matthew Crooks at several key moments.”
The report also points to buildings where Crooks had access to the roof and describes how areas outside the security perimeter were “perceived as a security risk.” And the report notes that despite its proximity to the road and view of the stage, the crowds that gathered near the building were not vetted by the Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, the panel said state and local authorities near the building “failed to have full visual surveillance of the area” and “understood their mission was to monitor the assembly area, not to secure the AGR roof and property.”
Even after the July 13 shooting incident, there was an apparent assassination attempt on the former president. September 15th, secret service arrest A man holding an AK-47 style weapon at a Florida golf course 300 to 500 yards away from former President Trump. That man, Ryan Wesley RuthIt’s done Indicted on attempted assassination charge Aside from the gun charges, he’s also a political figure.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement about the report Monday that the Secret Service’s security failures were “shocking and inexcusable” and that “Congress will make every effort to seek truth and justice for the victims of that fateful afternoon.” “He said. .”
“The taskforce will work tirelessly to ensure that a security failure of this scale never happens again,” Mr Johnson said.
