Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky calls for investigation into attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania

KENTUCKY (FOX 56) – A senator from Kentucky and Michigan said they are “deeply concerned” about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the death of a bystander.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee announced Monday that it would investigate the “security failures” that led to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

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The bipartisan investigation was announced by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and Michigan Senator and committee chairman Gary Peters.

Paul and Peters called for an “urgent” briefing and asked the US Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for additional information. According to a press release, a public hearing will follow.

“Violence is never acceptable, in our streets or in our politics. We thank God that President Trump is alive, we mourn with the Comperatore family, and we pray for those injured. This committee has a duty to uncover the truth about the failures of Saturday and before, no matter how inconvenient it is for the administration. We will leave no stone unturned,” Paul said.

“There is no place for political violence in our country, and Saturday’s shocking attack should never have happened,” Peters said. “Our committee is focused on gathering all the facts about the security failures that allowed the attacker to commit this heinous act of violence that threatened the life of former President Trump, killed at least one person in the crowd, and injured several others.”

The following letter was addressed to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the FBI Director:

Dear Secretary Mayorkas and Director Wray,

We are deeply concerned about the assassination attempt on former President Trump and the loss of an innocent bystander and the injuries to several others during a campaign rally in Butler, PA, on Saturday, July 13, 2024. In light of Saturday’s shooting, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (Committee) is launching a bipartisan investigation to determine how this occurred, what security, personnel, or other failures contributed to the attack, and what steps must be taken to ensure similar mistakes are avoided in the future.

Accordingly, we request that appropriate representatives of your departments, including the U.S. Secret Service, brief members of the Committee on the security deficiencies that allowed this alarming incident to occur. In particular, we would like to understand the security situation at the Trump campaign rally, how the suspect was able to get so close to and injure a Secret Service protective officer, and what steps the Department is taking to increase protection for presidential candidates and ensure the security of the election. We would also like information on whether any additional security requests have been made by former President Trump’s campaign or protective team since November 15, 2022. This briefing should be provided no later than Thursday, July 25, 2024. In addition, we request that you or your designated designee appear before the Committee for a public hearing on this matter as soon as possible, but no later than August 1, 2024.

Finally, we ask you to keep the Committee informed of the status of this incident and the authorities’ response. The Committee will be sending further requests in the near future and we urge you to respond in detail and promptly.

Thank you for your attention to this request.

Senator Rand Paul and Senator Gary Peters

According to the request, public information should be provided “as soon as possible”, but no later than 1 August.