House Task Force on Trump’s 1st Assassination Attempt Likely to Probe 2nd: Chairman

The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’s Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J.

Trump said on Sept. 16 that his committee will likely investigate the second such attempt on Trump’s life in West Palm Beach that occurred on Sept. 15.



At approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, a U.

S. Secret Service agent spotted the muzzle of a rifle through a hedge at the golf course and opened fire. Trump was unharmed and the suspected shooter, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was later apprehended.

The suspect did not fire any shots, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.

), chairman of the task force—formed after the first assassination attempt on Trump on July 13—told The Epoch Times that his committee would likely add an investigation of the second assassination attempt to its portfolio of work. “I think that we’re probably going to merge the two events with the task force: one being a very public event, the other being a very private event,” Kelly said. He was apprehended 40 minutes later, pulled over by sheriff’s deputies while driving on Interstate 95 in adjacent Martin County after fleeing in a black SUV that a witness identified.

Other charges against Routh are likely to be added as the investigation continues, said Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aaronberg at the press conference. The first assassination attempt occurred on July 13 while Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old shooter, fired at Trump from a rooftop 400 yards away and grazed Trump’s ear with a bullet.

Crooks was killed shortly afterward by Secret Service counter-snipers, and Trump was otherwise uninjured. Bullets hit and killed former firefighter Corey Comperatore of Sarver, Pennsylvania, and injured two other spectators. Kelly said he had spoken to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.

) about expanding the task force’s mandate to encompass both assassination attempts. “We’re the only ones with subpoena power,” Kelly told The Epoch Times, referring to Congress’s authority to compel third parties to submit documents to the body or risk prosecution. The FBI is investigating Crooks and his motivations, while the Department of Homeland Security is also conducting an independent review of the incident.

“[We are] serious about getting to the answers,” Kelly said. In a statement, Johnson said, “There’s going to be reports and recommendations coming forward, and Congress will act swiftly. We need accountability.

” He did not say whether the task force’s portfolio would be expanded..