The housing company’s bipartisan task force investigating former President Donald Trump’s attempted assassination launched an investigation Wednesday and made extensive requests for documents and interviews.
Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.), the panel’s chairman and the top Democrat, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Acting for Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr., the panel digs into site selection and security planning for Trump’s July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“The Task Force will investigate all actions by any agency, department, officer or employee of the federal government, state and local law enforcement, or any other state or local government or private entity or person” related to the assassination attempt, Kelly and Crow wrote in a letter Wednesday.
The letter, obtained exclusively by POLITICO ahead of its publication, is the next step for the task force after Kelly, Crow and other members visited the site of the July 13 protest and met with local law enforcement earlier this week. Several members of the group who spoke to reporters during their visit reiterated that they had unanswered questions about security planning and decisions made immediately before the shooting.
Lawmakers indicated those questions would be a priority as the task force moves forward. They have a deadline of mid-December to prepare a report and legislative recommendations based on their findings.
The task force is requesting interviews with several Secret Service employees who were either involved in the preparation for the July 13 rally or were there that day, including the special agent in charge of the local field office, the special agents in charge of Trump’s protective detail, and the agent or agents involved in site selection and are responsible for general safety plans. In addition to interview requests, they also want a list of those on leave due to the shooting.
The letter also extensively describes the documents sought by the task force, and Kelly and Crow requested more information about the site selection process and Secret Service guidelines for outdoor events, possible written security plans for the July 13 demonstration, and copies of all communications regarding site selection, security preparations and the immediate aftermath of the shooting.
Both lawmakers are also seeking clarity on what work the various investigations into the Biden administration have done since the shooting. Kelly and Crow requested copies of all DHS or Secret Service interviews related to the July 13 protest, as well as a list of any DHS or Secret Service investigations currently underway and when they expect them to be completed. They also want any briefings or materials that have already been given to Congress about the July 13 demonstration.
The task force is one of several investigations into the shooting. Parliament voted unanimously to set up the panel last month and give it powers over any related inquiry in the chamber – although a group of Conservatives said this week they would conduct their own inquiry. Senate committees are also investigating the matter, and the administration is conducting several investigations.
As part of its document request Wednesday, the task force also took a slightly broader sweep beyond just Trump and the July 13 rally, asking for more information on the size of the president, first lady, vice president and Trump’s protective details. They also want details on planning and communications for first lady Jill Biden’s July 13 event in Pennsylvania.
