Congress launches bipartisan probes into shooting

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress from both parties announced plans Monday to investigate how a shooter was able to get within striking distance of former President Donald Trump, demanding answers from the authorities responsible for protecting the Republican nominee for president.

The attempted assassination, which amounts to the most serious attempt to kill a U.S. president in more than 40 years, sparked a string of questions and outrage from lawmakers.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Gary Peters, D-mich., and ranking member Rand Paul, R-KY., on Monday announced the panel would conduct a bipartisan investigation. They also plan to hold a hearing.

Peters said the panel is focused on getting all the facts about the “security failures that allowed the attacker to carry out this heinous act of violence.”

And House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-KY., announced that Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle would appear before the panel July 22 for a hearing on the assassination attempt.

“Questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecure,” Comer said. “Americans demand answers from Director Kimberly Cheatle about these security lapses and how we can prevent this from happening again.”

Speaker Mike Johnson, in an interview with the “Today” show on Sunday, said Congress will do a full investigation “to determine where there were lapses in security and anything else that the American people need to know.”

The Secret Service said a shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an “elevated position,” which was located outside of the rally venue. The Louisiana Republican questioned how the assailant was not noticed by Secret Service.

“Lots more questions than answers this morning,” Johnson said on Sunday.