The bipartisan House task force investigating the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump is ramping up its efforts with a sweeping records request to both the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service.
In letters sent to the agencies on Wednesday, the task force requested access to documents detailing the preparation and security decision-making in the hours leading up to the rally as well as agents’ responses once the shooting began. Lawmakers are also pushing for interviews with several Secret Service personnel who were on duty and were responsible for the security detail that day.
“The Task Force is investigating all actions by any agency, Department, officer, or employee of the federal government, as well as State and local law enforcement or any other State or local government or private entities or individuals, related to the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania,” wrote Reps. Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Jason Crow (D-CO), the leaders of the task force.
The records request marks the next step for the task force just two days after it held its first press conference at the shooting site in Butler, Pennsylvania, alongside local officials.
The comprehensive records request within the seven-page letter includes access to any briefing materials or written communications provided to Congress related to the July 13 shooting, including the timeline of events detailed to the task force during a briefing on Aug. 15. The request also seeks access to any transcribed interviews conducted by the DHS or the Secret Service in relation to the assassination attempt.
Other documents in the request include details related to the Secret Service’s site selection process, such as the agency’s policies or procedures on the agency’s authority to approve or reject certain selections. The letter specifically requests access to any communications related to the site selection for Trump’s rally and a list of all DHS and Secret Service personnel responsible for the approval of the site.
Lawmakers also want information related to the Secret Service’s security plan for outdoor campaign events for presidential candidates, including details about the establishment of security perimeters and the duties assigned between federal and local law enforcement officials. The task force also wants any written security plan made ahead of the rally, such as details on securing the roof where shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks positioned himself to shoot at Trump.
In addition to documents, the task force is seeking interviews with several Secret Service personnel, including the local field office special agent in charge, the local field office site agent in charge, the special agents tasked with Trump’s protective division, and agents assigned to specific locations at the rally site. The lawmakers are also requesting a list of agents who have been placed on leave in the aftermath of the shooting.
The security failures at the rally have prompted widespread scrutiny of the Secret Service from lawmakers of both parties, prompting House leaders to create a joint task force to investigate the assassination attempt. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) approved the task force last month, establishing it as the primary investigative body after a handful of House committees opened separate inquiries into the matter.
The panel began in earnest earlier this month after it sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. requesting documents and briefings from the agencies regarding the shooting.
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The letter requests a response from the agencies by Sept. 4, and a spokesperson for the DHS told the Washington Examiner the agency will continue working with the task force to “identify how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again.” The task force investigation is expected to conclude and produce a final report by Dec. 13, although lawmakers will release interim reports along the way, Johnson said.
The request comes as a group of House Republicans has opened a parallel investigation into the matter despite lacking the subpoena authority granted to the task force. The second group, dubbed the J13 Forum, is also expected to hold hearings over the coming months, although it’s not clear when the group may produce its findings or a final report.
