Army veteran Rep. Jason Crow, center, joins House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, and Vietnam War veteran Rep. Mike Thompson for a news conference at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on May 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
A Colorado Democrat will serve as ranking member of the bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Centennial, an Army veteran, will serve as the highest ranking Democrat on the bipartisan House task force.
“Political violence has no place in our democracy. Period. We must be united in the belief as Americans, not as Republicans or Democrats, that political disagreement is settled through rigorous discourse, not violence,” Crow said in a statement. “I am committed to working with my colleagues to conduct a thorough bipartisan investigation to collect the facts and recommend corrective security measures.”
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On July 13, a 20-year-old shooter killed one rallygoer and injured two others with an AR-15-style rifle at a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A slew of bipartisan investigations and actions have sprung up in response to the shooting that nearly killed the 2024 GOP presidential nominee. The gunman was killed at the scene.
Former U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after an intense congressional hearing where Democrats and Republicans demanded she step down after they grew dissatisfied with her answers about how a gunman was able to get within shooting range of the former president.
The House voted unanimously last week to establish the task force, with House Speaker Mike Johnson appointing seven Republicans and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries appointing six Democrats today.
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican, will chair the task force, alongside Republican U.S. Reps. 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. Democrats on the task force besides Crow include U.S. Reps. Lou Correa of California, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Glenn Ivey of Maryland, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.
“I will help lead this bipartisan task force with Chairman Kelly to investigate and fully examine the attempted assassination of former President Trump, and I will treat it like what it is: a solemn, urgent, and necessary responsibility,” Crow said. “The American people deserve clear answers and assurances that we will not let this happen again.”
The task force will issue a report by Dec. 13 detailing recommendations for legislative reforms needed to prevent future security lapses.
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