Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) is calling to establish an independent commission to examine the security failures that enabled the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
“Now that details of the attempted assassination of President Donald J. Trump are unfolding, we will witness federal agencies, including the United States Secret Service, go into CYA mode and try to pin blame elsewhere,” Duncan said in a statement on Sunday. “We cannot rely just on Congressional Oversight hearings or even Agency Inspector Generals to get the answers that Congress and the American people deserve about the failures to protect President Trump adequately.”
Duncan said that he had talked to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) about the idea of an independent commission, with members appointed by both House and Senate leadership. He compared it to the Warren Commission, which was established to examine the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
“The Independent Commission will address the failures of both Federal and State Law Enforcement apparatuses at this event that, absent a miracle from God, could have resulted in a much more tragic outcome,” Duncan said. “The American people deserve answers from an Independent Commission.”
Duncan also expressed bewilderment at how a rooftop in the rally area on Saturday was un-patrolled or uncovered.
The 20-year-old suspect identified in the shooting, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had fired from a rooftop in the vicinity of the rally site with an “AR style 566 rifle,” authorities said. While Trump survived with a bullet clipping his year, one rally attendee was killed and two others were severely injured.
Duncan's call for an independent commission comes as House Republicans are already diving into investigations into the incident.
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) over the weekend requested that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appear before a full committee hearing to discuss the attempted assassination attempt. A source confirmed to The Hill that the Secret Service has already agreed to a briefing with the panel.
And on the Oversight panel, Green sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday requesting documents and communications about the security plans for Trump's rally, mentioning “serious concerns” about how the shooter was able to get to the rooftop with line-of-sight to Trump.
Green also requested documents and communications relating to any potential increase of security resources Trump, referencing reports that DHS had “rebuffed” requests for additional security for Trump. A Secret Service spokesperson earlier on Sunday disputed those reports as "untrue" and "absolutely false," and that the Secret Service had added resources and protective capabilities as Trump increased his campaigning.
Ducan on Sunday sought to get ahead of any excuses from the law enforcement agencies.
“There will be statements like ‘resource inadequacy’ or ‘manpower shortages.’ That is when you coordinate with local and state Law Enforcement to cover these areas. I refuse to accept these types of blame-shifting responses from the Secret Service,” Duncan said. “An American died, and others were injured yesterday because you allowed a shooter to access an unsecured rooftop perch a mere 140+/- yards from the stage. The bottom line is that the security perimeter was inadequate, as security coverage should be beyond 500 yards or more.”
