House To Create Task Force To Investigate Trump Assassination Attempt

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution on Wednesday to form a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The resolution received support from 416 members, while 16 members did not vote.

Trump survived the assassination attempt while addressing a campaign rally near Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.

The newly established task force, which has seven Republicans and six Democrats, will scrutinize the actions of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies leading up to the attack, NBC News reported.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) announced the task force to "ensure accountability and prevent future security lapses."

The task force will have subpoena authority and must deliver a final report with legislative recommendations by December 13.

"The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump's life are shocking," Johnson and Jeffries said in a statement.

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), who was in the front row at Trump's rally during the attack, was the lead sponsor of the resolution to create the task force.

Johnson said on Wednesday that he and Jeffries would release their selection of task force members on Thursday before lawmakers leave Washington for an early August recess.

"They'll have three primary responsibilities: We have to get the answers, of course, about what happened. We need to make sure that accountability is ensured to the American people. And then we need to prevent anything like this from ever happening again," Johnson said.

In the wake of the attack, the Department of Homeland Security has initiated reviews into three areas of Secret Service planning and preparedness.

The incident led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who stepped down on Tuesday after facing criticism from both parties during her testimony before the House Oversight Committee.

The attack occurred just minutes into Trump's rally, resulting in the death of a rallygoer and injuries to two others.

Trump sustained a gunshot wound to the ear. The assailant, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by the Secret Service during the attack.

According to reports, Crooks was flagged as a suspicious person an hour before the shooting and had flown a drone over the venue earlier in the day.