After the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania, members of Congress from Utah say it’s time to lower the temperature around political discourse — but they also want to see an investigation into the U.S. Secret Service.
Rep. Blake Moore said both of the presidential candidates and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle need to tamp down the rhetoric. “If President Joe Biden or former President Trump were to win a reelection bid, it’s not going to be the end of democracy,” Moore said.
He criticized Biden for putting a “bull’s eye” on Trump’s back through his narrative. Biden, in an interview on NBC Monday admitted it was a “mistake” to use the word “bull’s eye” when talking about Trump.
“I didn’t say crosshairs. I meant bull’s eye, I meant focus on him. Focus on what he’s doing, focus on his policies, focus on the number of lies he told in the debate,” Biden said.
Moore and others are also asking questions about the actions of the U.S. Secret Service at the rally in Pennsylvania.
Did the Secret Service fail to protect former President Trump?
Video from the rally showed Secret Service agents jumping in front of the former president moments after the shooting.
“Not one of those individuals that we saw on those videos hesitated, and that’s a truly American principle,” Moore said.
But for Moore, the vice chair of the House Republican Conference, one question remains unanswered: Why wasn’t the building where the shooter was positioned secured by the Secret Service?
“Why was a 20-year-old kid able to climb and be in that position with a gun ... and not a small gun?” Moore said to the Deseret News over the phone Monday. He was traveling to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the interview.
Moore, who represents Utah’s 1st District, said the American people deserved to know who bore the responsibility for negligence — was it local police or the Secret Service?
“There’s Secret Service snipers, so there’s already an assumption that something could happen,” he said. “We take those precautions.” Still, the only building that could be targeted by the snipers wasn’t secured, Moore said.
The shooter, who the FBI identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed on the scene. The FBI is investigating the incident and has not identified a motive.
A witness standing outside Saturday’s Trump rally told BBC News he saw the shooter with a rifle crawling on the rooftop before the event began. The eyewitness said he attempted to warn the local authorities as well as the Secret Service.
Even though accountability is necessary, “we don’t want to demonize our law enforcement,” Moore said. “They didn’t know if there were multiple shooters. They covered President Trump, their backs were to where (the shots were) coming from.”
“It’s amazing to see them do that so quickly, it gives you the chills,” Moore added.
Investigation into the Secret Service
The Pennsylvania state police said the Secret Service was responsible for securing the location before the rally.
Biden’s Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “A direct line of sight like that to the former president should not occur.”
“That’s why President Biden directed an independent review of the incident,” he said, referring to the president’s order over the weekend. This review will begin “as quickly as possible,” Mayorkas said in a press briefing Monday.
He also added they are looking at the security details for Biden, Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, especially since they are “constantly the subject of threats.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., indicated the House will conduct an investigation into the incident, and require Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other officials from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to testify before Congress.
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced Monday that his committee “will conduct oversight” of the Secret Service.
Rep. Celeste Maloy, who represents Utah’s 2nd District, said she supported Johnson’s decision to hold hearings.
“In America, we should be able to participate in the political process without having to fear for our lives,” she said. “My heart is broken for the families of the innocent people who were killed and injured at the rally in Pennsylvania, and I thank God that President Trump wasn’t killed. The American people deserve to know how anyone got the opportunity to shoot at him.”
Rep. John Curtis, who represents Utah’s 3rd District and is running for Senate, said he also fully supported the speaker’s calls for “a full investigation”
“It is imperative that the American people get the facts,” he said. “How an assailant could come so close to the former President, resulting in the tragic death of a dedicated father and the injury of two others, raises serious security concerns that must be addressed.”
“In moments like these, it is crucial that we rise above partisanship,” Curtis said. “The House’s investigation into the events of January 6th was plagued by political divisions; we must learn from that experience.”
“I have consistently advocated for a nonpartisan approach to investigations and remain committed to supporting an inquiry that seeks answers, devoid of political bias,” he said.