Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler on Friday proposed a special committee of the Legislature to investigate how a 20-year-old man with a rifle came within inches of killing former President Donald Trump during a rally last Saturday in Butler, Pa.
The shooting – resulting in the death of one rally attendee, the hospitalization of two others and the wounding of Trump – has sparked a wave of questions from elected officials about the Secret Service’s procedures that day.
A resolution proposed by Cutler, whose district covers the southern half of Lancaster County, says the assassination attempt “demand(s) a deliberate examination to better understand how such a tragedy occurred and what remedial measures can be taken to prevent it from happening in the future.”
It also stressed that understanding how to prevent security lapses like what occurred on July 13 is essential because Pennsylvania “will likely host multiple high-level political campaign events for the remainder of the 2024 election season.”
A spokesman for Cutler on Friday said the Drumore Township Republican was traveling back to Pennsylvania from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and was unavailable for immediate comment.
“The purpose of this committee is not to assign blame, but rather give state and local law enforcement a voice so we can collectively identify what happened and learn to improve upon current practices,” Cutler said in a news release.
Cutler’s resolution would create a six-member, bipartisan committee to investigate the shooting. The committee would be charged with drafting a public report of recommendations for how law enforcement can better coordinate at the federal, state and local levels during rallies with large public crowds and “highly visible individuals.”
That report would be due by Nov. 30, nearly three weeks after Election Day. The committee would hold subpoena power and the ability to place witnesses under oath.
Butler Township Police Department declined to comment on the resolution. Pennsylvania State Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If approved in the House, of which the Democratic Party holds a majority, all related costs would come from the House chief clerk’s appropriations account.
A spokeswoman for House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, said the speaker was unavailable to comment Friday.
At a press event Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro said the federal government is “taking the lead” on investigating the assassination attempt while Pennsylvania State Police is investigating the killing of one rallygoer.
Federal investigations
Congressional Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, have called for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign from her post.
Johnson also announced he would establish a task force to investigate the security breach at the rally.
Meanwhile, U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer on Wednesday issued a subpoena summoning Cheatle to testify about the assassination attempt at a hearing on Monday.
President Joe Biden said at the White House on Sunday that he ordered an independent review of the rally’s security and that the FBI’s investigation is ongoing.
Read more from our partners, LancasterOnline and WITF.
