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Bipartisan task force members named in investigation into Trump assassination attempt

Published  July 30, 2024 12:43am EDT
Politics
FOX 35 Orlando

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ORLANDO, Fla. - After voting last week to form a task force to investigate the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump on July 13, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced on Monday the members of Congress who will serve on the bipartisan panel.

The task force is composed of 13 members and includes seven Republicans and six Democrats. It will be tasked with determining what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and will make recommendations to prevent future security lapses. It will issue a final report before Dec. 13 and has the authority to issue subpoenas.

The full list can be found at the bottom of this article and includes three representatives from Florida's congressional delegation: two Republicans — Rep. Laurel Lee, who represents the 15th District, and Rep. Michael Waltz, who represents the 6th District — and one Democrat, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who represents the 23rd District.

Republican Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania will chair the task force, and Democrat Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado will be its ranking member. 

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The task force underscores the bipartisan outrage over the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The legislation was passed by a vote of 416-0.

Trump came within inches of losing his life. One rallygoer was killed, and two others were severely injured. Lawmakers have responded quickly with hearings and widespread calls for accountability.  The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was also killed by authorities.

House committees have already held hearings focusing on the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned last Tuesday, one day after she appeared before a congressional committee and was berated for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s "most significant operational failure" in decades, but she angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.

Republican Members of the Task Force:

  • Chair Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16) represents Pennsylvania’s 16th District and resides in his hometown of Butler, the location of the assassination attempt. He has longstanding ties to the local law enforcement community, is the author of the resolution creating the Task Force, and will serve as its chair.
  • Rep. Mark Green (TN-07) is a former U.S. Army major, combat veteran, and E.R. physician who currently chairs the Homeland Security Committee. 
  • Rep. David Joyce (OH-14) served as an attorney and county prosecutor for 25 years and is former Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. 
  • Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15) is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, a judge for Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit, and a former Florida Secretary of State. She serves on the Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees.
  • Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06) is retired from the U.S. Army Special Forces and is a former White House and Pentagon advisor. He serves on the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Oversight Committees.  
  • Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03) is a former U.S. Army staff sergeant and former law enforcement officer who maintains an active commission and Peace Officer’s Standards and Training (POST) certificate. He serves on the Homeland Security and Oversight Committees.
  • Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04) is a former U.S. Air Force officer who serves on the Oversight and Armed Services Committees and their respective subcommittees dealing with Tactical Air and Land Forces and National Security.

Democratic Members of the Task Force:

  • Ranking Member Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) is a decorated former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. For his heroism in Iraq, Rep. Crow was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He is a Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
  • Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) is a senior Member of the House Judiciary and the House Homeland Security Committees, where he sits on the Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement & Intelligence Subcommittee. In that capacity, Rep. Correa recently traveled to Butler, PA, to visit the site of the assassination attempt.
  • Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) currently serves on the House Judiciary and House Foreign Affairs Committees. He is a longtime Pennsylvania public servant, having served in the State House for six and a half years before coming to Congress. 
  • Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) is a veteran of the United States Air Force and currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
  • Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04) is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County who now serves on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Ethics Committees.
  • Rep. Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) is the former Florida Director of Emergency Management, where he oversaw both disaster response and after-action analysis. He serves on the House Oversight and Accountability and Foreign Affairs Committees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.