Republican lawmakers questioned the continuation of the federal investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a forum in Washington, D.C., on Monday, raising concerns about institutional bias.
United States Secret Service, FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Congress launched an investigation after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate President Trump from a rooftop just 130 yards from the stage at a rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Despite those investigations, Republican lawmakers who hosted the forum told the Daily Caller News Foundation they don't trust the agency's leadership to fairly investigate the shooting. (Related article: Secret Service agent placed on administrative leave after assassination attempt on President Trump: Report)
“I trust the rank and file of the FBI to investigate,” Rep. Eli Klain, R-Arizona, told DCNF. “I have no confidence that the FBI's leadership would actually release information to the American people.”
At left, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) speaks during a press conference on Unidentified Flying Object (UAP) transparency at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on November 30, 2023. (Drew Ungerer/Getty Images)
“There are four investigations going on right now,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told DCNF. “Two by the Secret Service, one by the FBI, one by the inspector general. The only one I trust is the inspector general. I trust the inspector general, Inspector General Khufari. And the bizarre thing is, the establishment in this administration is trying to get him fired.”
At a forum at the Heritage Foundation about the assassination attempt, lawmakers and witnesses described numerous security lapses on July 13. Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and now host of “The Dan Bongino Show,” said the repeated failures suggest the agencies involved willfully ignored legitimate security concerns.
“On the first day of Secret Service training, we were told that the effective range of a good sniper is 1,000 yards, so why couldn't we get a roof line 130 yards away?” Bongino asked During the forum.
Crooks reportedly Discovered More than an hour and a half before Trump was due to take the stage, a gunman was fired by a bystander, flagged down by a Secret Service agent and identified by a local counter sniper. As a result of these security lapses, a gunman wounded the former president, killed volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore, and injured two attendees. Stable situation. (RELATED: Whistleblower says the acting director of the Secret Service 'retaliated' against agents who had security concerns at Trump event)
“I am sorry,” Bongino continued, “this layered incompetence is entirely intentional.”
Klain said he was concerned the “multiple layers of incompetence” and organizational failings that led Crooks to threaten the former president's life may have been the result of political bias.
“I believe there is a significant amount of political bias within most of our major federal agencies,” Klain told DCNF, “and I think DEI and even woke Cultural Marxist ideology has permeated many of these agencies and is guiding the leadership of these agencies not to represent the American people but to protect the institution at all costs.” (Related: Exclusive: Gates demands DHS documents on ties to big tech companies amid allegations of censorship of Trump assassination attempt)
“I don't know if there's a memo that says, 'Oh, by the way, we're going to do this,' right?,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, told DCNF. “But one of the things we tried to bring up today is how systemic this was.”
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida said testimony that agency leaders such as FBI Director Christopher Wray have given before lawmakers “does not inspire credibility.”
“Wray testified that he was unable to see Joe Biden's decline before his eyes,” Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz told the DCNF. “I cannot have any confidence in his insight.”
In the weeks after the assassination attempt, lawmakers held numerous hearings to pressure agency leaders, including Wray and then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who has since resigned. Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said she remains committed to holding them accountable. (Related: 'They lied to us': Mike Lee questions why Secret Service allowed Trump to take the stage after shooter was identified)
“Director Cheatle's resignation is just the beginning of accountability for the assassination attempt on President Trump,” Luna told DCNF. “We still need answers from the Secret Service and cannot trust the FBI to find the facts for the American people.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries created a special committee of seven Republicans and six Democrats to investigate the assassination attempt. Passed unanimously by the House of Representatives, the committee: Visit The scene of a shooting that happened in Butler County, Pennsylvania on Monday.
“Congress is working diligently to uncover the facts, provide accountability and ensure this never happens again,” Johnson said. said In a statement about X.
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