Top Dem on Trump assassination attempt task force previews investigation
Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., spoke with Fox News Digital about the probe. He discussed possible goals for the investigation and some of the biggest outstanding questions he had over how the shooting was able to happen.
The House of Representatives is kicking off its formal probe into the attempted assassination of former President Trump on Monday.
The bipartisan Trump shooting task force sent a pair of letters announcing its investigation will now supersede several other ongoing House investigations into the matter and asking for all information sent to those committees about the July 13 shooting so far.
One letter was sent to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe; the other was addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Lawmakers are seeking staff-level briefings from each agency and department, to be scheduled by Aug. 16 – a signal that the task force is serious about its pledge for a short investigatory timeline.
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The Trump assassination attempt task force, led by Reps. Mike Kelly, inset left, and Jason Crow, has formally launched its probe. (Getty Images)
"We, as the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump (Task Force), write to request documents and information related to the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024," wrote Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Jason Crow, D-Colo.
There have been multiple Congressional inquiries launched into how a 20-year-old gunman was able to position himself on a rooftop just outside Trump's rally perimeter last month, opening fire and killing one rally attendee. Trump himself was shot in the ear and rushed offstage by Secret Service agents.
The task force is a push by House leadership to consolidate those efforts. The panel is armed with subpoena power and wide-ranging jurisdiction to probe the shooting, with the goal of producing an end-of-year report.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, left, and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries led the task force assembly as a bipartisan effort. (Getty Images)
Kelly and Crow asked that the Biden administration officials they wrote to "should produce documents and information directly to the Task Force from this point forward, including any documents and information that are in process in response to pending requests."
Lawmakers also asked for "all documents and information that have been produced to date, to any committee of the House or Senate related to the attempted assassination of former President Donald J. Trump" and "a briefing for staff to review DHS and USSS’ responses to Congress to date, and to discuss the Task Force’s priorities with respect to documents and information moving forward."
The task force, comprised of seven House Republicans and six House Democrats, was formed after a unanimous 416-0 vote last month.
One senior House Republican told Fox News Digital last month that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., was inundated by House GOP lawmakers' requests and arguments to be on the panel.
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Former President Trump was shot in the ear but otherwise unharmed. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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Both Kelly and Crow have stressed that the investigation must be apolitical.
Crow, a former Army Ranger, told Fox News Digital earlier this month that he and Kelly were discussing a possible trip to the Pennsylvania rally site where the shooting took place. Kelly, who was at the rally in Butler, represents the surrounding district.
"Chairman Kelly and I have discussed that, and we do think that would be an important thing to do if we have the support to do it," Crow said.
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