After two assassination attempts on Trump, Congress has questions

A task force of House lawmakers charged with examining an earlier attempt to assassinate Donald Trump will expand its scope to include the most recent foiled plot against the former president. Its members are unclear about how that will change their ongoing efforts.

On Sunday, Secret Service agents guarding Trump opened fire on a suspect spotted with an AK-style rifle roughly 400 yards away from the former president on a golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla. Local law enforcement apprehended him soon after. The incident comes just two months after another would-be assassin fired shots at Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa., striking him in the ear and killing a rallygoer. Although no one was hurt this time around, last week’s incident has heightened concerns among lawmakers that the security failures present in Butler may have been more than a one-off.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., is one of 13 members of the House task force, created in July to “investigate and fully examine all actions” by law enforcement related to the Butler assassination attempt. The mandate applies to federal government, state government, local law enforcement, and more.

“I’m going to Florida,” Higgins said. “We are absolutely expanding our investigation of what happened in Butler to what happened in Florida. I’ve had about enough of this.”

He declined to provide details about what he hopes to find.

On Friday, the Secret Service released preliminary findings that showed that the agency's response in Pennsylvania suffered from flaws in coordination.

“A consistent theme gathered from state and local law enforcement personnel who helped secure the Butler rally was the presence of communication deficiencies,” the report stated. “These deficiencies included gaps in co-location of law enforcement resources to share information and the capability of agency personnel to clearly convey the Secret Service’s protection needs.”

Task force member Laurel Lee, R-Fla., said so far the group has focused on the procedures and protocols of the Secret Service. She sees some overlap between the two attacks.

“With both the Butler case and now Palm Beach, one concern is the perimeter surrounding President Trump, whether it’s broad enough,” Lee said. “We will certainly be looking at that as one of the questions of what happened here and one of the questions that the Secret Service needs to keep in mind as we go forward, making sure we’re keeping President Trump safe.”

At a news conference earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., hinted that the task force had already found a few other areas that needed attention.

“We have got to get to the bottom of this. We have got to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Johnson said. “If they need additional funding, Congress will supply that, but we’re told it’s a manpower problem.”

As the taskforce continues to develop its findings, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., says he’s been encouraged by a rare moment of bipartisan unity brought on by their work.

“One of the things that’s been really positive is the fact that the Democrats and Republicans have been working so well together. I think it's been a very nonpartisan effort,” Ivey said.

That unity was on full display more broadly on Friday morning as the House unanimously passed the Enhanced Presidential Security Act of 2024 with a 401-0 vote.

The three-page bill directs the Secret Service to apply the same standards to protect presidents, vice presidents, and major presidential and vice-presidential candidates. It also requires the director to submit a report within 180 days detailing a “comprehensive review” of the protections afforded by the Secret Service.

To Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., it’s a good start. But if Congress is going to do something more, he stressed that it has to happen soon.

“I think the changes at the Secret Service need to happen, clearly, yesterday,” Waltz said. “What can they purchase in the next 48 days?” Waltz, a task force member and a former Green Beret, said he also wants to take a deeper look at what kind of foreign threats might be a part of the picture.

“As a member of the [Intelligence] Committee, I’d also like to know about the ongoing threats from Iran,” Waltz said, referring to warnings from the National Security Council that Tehran may have targeted the former president shortly before the Florida incident.

For task force member David Joyce, R-Ohio, the biggest question about the second assassination attempt was already answered.

“My question was how many shots did he get off?” Joyce said. “He got off zero. I feel comfortable knowing that they have him fully protected now, but it’s still not going to stop the crazies from doing what they want to do.”

The congressional task force will begin holding public hearings next week. Under its current framework, the group must deliver its findings no later than Dec. 13.