Donald Trump assassination attempt under investigation by Republicans who demand hearing with Secret Service after 'absolute security failure'
- Former President Donald Trump was shot Saturday at a campaign event
- Congressional committees announced probes into the U.S. Secret Service
- READ MORE: Trump gives post-shooting statement from hospital
Republicans in Congress have launched an investigation into the 'security failures' that led to a horrific assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
Lawmakers say a frightening lapse meant that a gunman was able to get so close to Trump and unleash a barrage of bullets that hit his ear and killed a member of the rally crowd.
The suspect opened fire on the former president from a roof 130 yards away from the stage where he was speaking to thousands of MAGA fans in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night.
Former Navy SEAL Rep. Ryank Zinke, R-Mont., who has experience in setting perimeters in combat zones, said the shooter being able to access a 'nearby roof' to take aim at Trump was an 'absolute failure of security.'
And House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com in a statement that he plans to hold a hearing with the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to get to the bottom of the failures.
The House Homeland Security Committee also released a statement indicating their desire to hold a hearing with the Secret Service.
The committee's messages indicate what could be the beginning of a deluge of congressional action over the attempted assassination of the former president.
'There are many questions and Americans demand answers,' Comer said. 'I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.'
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump gestures as he is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents as he leaves the stage at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania
'The Oversight Committee will send a formal invitation soon.'
And within hours Comer officially organized a hearing with U.S. Secret Service brass for Monday July 22.
The committee 'has initiated an investigation into today's assassination attempt,' he writes to Director Cheatle.
The lawmaker's oversight comes just hours after at least one gunman tried to shoot former President Donald Trump as he campaigned in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday evening.
Trump said he was shot in his right ear during the horrific attempt and knew something was wrong when he heard a 'whizzing' sound.
The former president said he immediately felt the bullet 'ripping through my skin' in a statement from hospital just hours after the terrifying scene unfolded.
The 78-year-old was dragged off stage by Secret Service with blood covering his face and then pumped his face and shouted 'fight, fight, fight' after gunfire rang out in front of thousands of MAGA fans.
'THE HOUSE WILL CONDUCT A FULL INVESTIGATION OF THE TRAGIC EVENTS TODAY,' Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., posted on X Saturday evening.
The president addresses his supporters just moments before the gunfire
Former President Donald Trump goes down after the gunfire at his rally. Supporters in the back look about
A screen grab captured from a video shows the shooter was killed by the Secret Service, according to a source from the agency, said CNN, on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania, United States. An attendee was also killed
'The American people deserve to know the truth,' he continued.
'We will have Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and other appropriate officials from DHS and the FBI appear for a hearing before our committees ASAP,' Johnson said.
Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., also released a statement Saturday calling for an investigation.
'The security failures surrounding the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate demand an investigation,' he wrote.
'The federal government must constantly learn from security failures in order to avoid repeating them - especially when those failures have implications for the Nation.'
U.S. Secret Service escorts Trump off stage after the gunfire directed towards him
Ex-Navy SEAL Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., called the attempt a security failure
Zinke continued to detail the security failure in a post on X.
'I cannot think of a single time where a point of elevation so close in range would have been accessible and not already occupied by security forces.'
'There will be a thorough investigation,' Zinke continued. 'The American people and our leadership deserve better.'
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., similarly demanded that the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hold a hearing on the attempt on Trump's life by August 1, according to a Saturday night statement.
