House votes to form task force to investigate assassination attempt on Trump at Butler rally

WASHINGTON — The United States House of Representatives voted to form a task force to investigate the security failures that led to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump in Butler.

The legislation passed by a vote of 416-0.

Trump came within inches of losing his life at his July 13 rally. One rallygoer, Corey Comperatore, was killed and two others were severely injured.

>> Updates released on conditions of 2 surviving victims of Trump rally shooting

Thirteen members will make up the task force. It is expected to be a bipartisan effort and include seven Republicans and six Democrats.

AP reports it will be tasked with determining what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and will make recommendations to prevent future security lapses. It will issue a final report before Dec. 13 and will also have the authority to issue subpoenas.

The bill is sponsored by Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, a Butler native. Kelly was at the rally with his wife and other family members when shots rang out.

>> Butler Trump rally attendees describe panic as shots rang out during attempted Trump assassination

“The goals of my legislation and of this task force are simple: to investigate, detail, and explain the shooting and security breakdowns that tragically killed one person, injured two others, and nearly claimed President Trump’s life. We must never let something like this happen again,” Rep. Kelly said. “It’s important that we don’t jump to any conclusions as we begin these investigations. I look forward to working with my colleagues to get the American people the answers they deserve.”

AP reports that Kelly was concerned when Butler Farm Show was chosen to host the rally, saying it would be challenging to hold that large of an event there.

House committees have already held three hearings focusing on the shooting. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday, one day after she appeared before a congressional committee and was berated for hours by both Democrats and Republicans for the security failures. She called the attempt on Trump’s life the Secret Service’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, but she angered lawmakers by failing to answer specific questions about the investigation.

Democrats also voiced support for the task force, saying what happened in Butler was a despicable attack that never should have happened.

“We need to know what happened. We need to get to the truth. We need to prevent this from ever, ever happening again,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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