Congress launches investigation into security deficiencies at Trump rally

Members of Congress from both parties announced plans Monday to investigate how a gunman managed to get so close to former President Donald Trump and demanded answers from authorities responsible for protecting the Republican presidential candidate.

The assassination attempt is the most serious attempt to kill a US president or presidential candidate in over 40 years and sparked a series of questions and outrage in Parliament.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters (D-Michigan) and his top nominee, Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), announced Monday that the panel will conduct a bipartisan investigation and a hearing is scheduled.

Peters said the panel was focused on finding out all the facts about the “security deficiencies that allowed the attacker to commit this heinous act of violence.”

And House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James R. Comer (R-Ky.) announced that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will appear before the panel for a hearing on the assassination on July 22.

“Questions remain about how a rooftop near President Trump could not be secured,” Comer said. “The American people are demanding answers from Director Kimberly Cheatle about these security lapses and how we can prevent this from happening again.”

Spokesman Mike Johnson said in an interview with the “Today” show on Sunday that Congress would conduct a comprehensive investigation “to determine where there were security vulnerabilities and anything else the American people need to know.”

The Secret Service said a gunman fired several shots at the stage from an “elevated position” outside the venue. The Louisiana Republican asked why the attacker was not noticed by the Secret Service.

“This morning there are more questions than answers,” Johnson said on Sunday.

Johnson said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Saturday night and asked him some “pointed questions” about homeland security.

Mayorkas told reporters at a White House press conference on Monday that the Secret Service had increased protection for Trump. “Personnel and other protective resources, technologies and capabilities have been increased,” Mayorkas said.

Mayorkas also said President Joe Biden had directed him to work with the Secret Service to ensure the protection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate in the 2024 presidential election.

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) called for an independent commission to look into the former president’s protection, saying lawmakers cannot rely solely on congressional hearings or U.S. agencies’ inspectors general for answers about failures to adequately protect Trump.

“The first question the Americans deserve an answer to is how a roof with a visual connection to the stage and podium could be left unguarded and without kinetic surveillance,” Duncan wrote.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and other Republican senators wrote a letter to Chairman Richard J. Durbin on Monday asking for a panel hearing on the circumstances leading to the assassination.

The group of Republican lawmakers called on Durbin to call Cheatle, Mayorkas and FBI Director Christopher Wray as witnesses.

A spokesman for the Senate Judiciary Committee said Durbin had requested a closed meeting of committee members with the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI next week.

Durbin’s staff began discussions with Graham’s staff over the weekend about the briefing and “other possible next steps, including a hearing,” the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Biden said at the rally he had ordered an “independent review” of national security and promised to inform the public of the results.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark E. Green sent a letter to Mayorkas on Sunday requesting documents related to the plan to secure the rally site.

The Tennessee Republican also requested documents explaining the Secret Service’s rules of engagement and records explaining cooperation between the Secret Service and state and local law enforcement agencies.

“The gravity of this security failure and this terrifying moment in our country’s history cannot be understated,” Green wrote. “Not since President Reagan was shot in 1981 has an assassination attempt come this close to killing a president or presidential candidate. Had the bullet’s trajectory been slightly different, the assassination attempt on President Trump might have been successful.”

Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona wrote a letter to the Secret Service calling on officials responsible for planning and implementing the security plan to testify before Congress.

Gallego said the shooting raised “serious concerns” about the security measures in place to protect Trump, or the lack of such measures.

“This was a security failure at the highest level, the likes of which has not been seen since the attempted assassination of President Reagan. This cannot be allowed to happen, and I demand accountability,” Gallego wrote.

House Intelligence Chairman Michael R. Turner (Republican of Ohio) asked in an interview with CNN how the attacker was able to get onto a roof.

Turner said Congress must play a role in the wake of the attack. “We have control, oversight and responsibility for the tools and protocols used,” Turner said.

Cheatle, the Secret Service director, released a statement about how the agency is working with federal, state and local authorities to understand what happened “and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever happening again.”

“We understand the importance of the independent review that President Biden announced yesterday and will fully participate in it. We will also work with the appropriate congressional committees on any oversight measures,” Cheatle said.

The Capitol Police issued a statement on Monday saying the agency has been operating in a heightened threat environment for months due to threats against members of Congress.

“We have worked with our federal, state and local partners on a comprehensive security plan to protect members of Congress during both caucuses,” Capitol Police said. “Our officers, agents and civilian support staff remain focused on this important mission.”

A House Administration Committee aide confirmed that more than 200 senior Democratic staffers attended a meeting Sunday night about security at member events in constituencies. Speakers included House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland and Assistant Chief of Police for Standards and Training Operations Jason Bell.

Justin Papp contributed to this report.