Pennsylvania shooting site visit by task force as Secret Service agents take leave following Trump assassination attempt.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is planning to visit the site where former President Trump was nearly assassinated in July.
A group of bipartisan U.S. lawmakers on a task force investigating the assassination attempt against former President Trump are scheduled to visit the shooting scene in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Monday, with some members returning for the second time since the July 13 incident.
On Aug. 4, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the formation of a task force on the assassination attempt against Trump and appointed Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Mike Kelly to head the committee.
Johnson and Jeffries expressed their utmost confidence in the bipartisan group of Members of Congress, who were steady, highly qualified, and capable, to swiftly uncover the facts, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent such failures from happening again.
The task force aims to "comprehend the reasons behind the failed assassination attempt," "hold those responsible accountable," and "avoid any future agency failures," as stated on its website.
The task force includes Kelly, Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, David Joyce of Ohio, Laurel Lee of Florida, Michael Waltz of Florida, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, and Pat Fallon of Texas, all of whom are Republicans.
The group of Democrats comprises Jason Crow of Colorado, J. Luis Correa of California, Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Glenn Ivey of Maryland, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.
The Secret Service placed at least five members on administrative leave following the assassination attempt at a Trump campaign rally on July 13, where one man was killed and two others were severely injured when the shooter opened fire on Trump, grazing his ear.
The task force is seeking information from informants and whistleblowers regarding the methods used by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks to gain access to the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR) building and commence shooting at approximately 6:11 p.m.
During a July press call, the FBI stated that the suspect who entered the area of the Butler Farm Show fairgrounds where Trump's campaign rally took place had a DPMS AR-15-style firearm with a collapsible stock.
On July 7, three days after the Trump campaign announced the Butler rally on July 3, Crooks traveled to the rally site and spent approximately 20 minutes in the area, according to the FBI. That same day, he researched how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from President Kennedy when Oswald assassinated him in 1963.
In 2023, the crook's interest in firearms started with him taking shooting lessons. He made 25 online firearms purchases using an alias in the spring of 2023.
On the day of the rally, Crooks legally bought an AR-15-style rifle from his father, who had legally purchased it, and also bought 50 rounds of ammunition from a local gun store.
On July 13, Crooks parked his vehicle and flew a drone between 3:50 p.m. and 4 p.m. about 200 yards from where the former president would be speaking. During a July 17 congressional hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that Crooks had been at the rally site for approximately 70 minutes on the morning of the assassination attempt.
Despite being detected by law enforcement over an hour before the shooting, it remains unclear how Crooks managed to evade security. However, the FBI is currently working around the clock with over 300 agents and staff to gather information and create a clearer timeline of Crooks' actions.
WATCH: TRUMP SHOOTING VICTIM'S POV MOMENTS BEFORE GUNFIRE
The agency stated that eight rounds were found on the roof where the Crooks fired from, according to investigators.
At 5:10 p.m. on July 13, an hour and one minute before the shooting began, law enforcement first reported seeing a suspicious person near the rally site. Local law enforcement notified command about the suspicious person and received confirmation that the Secret Service was aware of his presence.
In the following hour, law enforcement identified a person of interest and snipers captured photos of Crooks and his bicycle near the rally grounds. According to Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who was informed about the assassination attempt, a sniper had been observing the suspicious individual for approximately 20 minutes prior to Crooks beginning to fire.
Trump spoke at 6 p.m., an hour later than planned. Eleven minutes after, Crooks fired multiple rounds, killing Comperatore and injuring Dutch and Copenhaver. Both men were hospitalized and later released.
WATCH: VIDEO SHOWS PA OFFICERS ASKING WHY ROOF WAS UNMANNED
The House Homeland Security Committee was previously visited by Green, Kelly, Higgins, and Correa at the site of the assassination attempt on July 24.
Kelly, a local resident, previously stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that it remains unclear why the former president was permitted to speak on stage despite authorities' knowledge of a suspicious individual for several hours prior to the event.
"Why did President Trump go up to the podium if there was a suspicion that someone was there? He said during his July 24 visit. "Being there and watching the president go down, seeing Corey go down, and other men getting struck by bullets, it was a bad day for America.""
The FBI is investigating Crooks' motive for the assassination attempt and whether he had any accomplices, despite the agency stating that there is no evidence of others being involved.
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