Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been subpoenaed over security failures leading up to the attempted Trump assassination.
House Committee on Homeland Security Mark Green (R-TN) told Mayorkas that he must provide documents as to how the Secret Service planned to secure the venue where Trump was shot last week and provide what policies the Secret Service had implemented for assassination attempts.
“The Department of Homeland Security has failed to properly satisfy our requests for documents and information regarding the security efforts to prevent and respond to the assassination attempt on President Trump — and the piecemeal information it has provided over phone calls is woefully inadequate,” Green said.
“In order for this Committee to conduct proper oversight over DHS and the U.S. Secret Service, the department and agency must cooperate,” he added.
“This Committee is dedicated to getting answers regarding what happened on Saturday in Pennsylvania, which not only resulted in the near assassination of a former president, but also the murder of a father of two, and the severe injury of two other Americans. The American people, the Comperatore family, and the individuals who receive protective services deserve accountability.”
In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Trump, Secret Service has pointed fingers at local law enforcement for failing to secure the area adequately.
U.S. Secret Service spokesman, Anthony Gugliemi, emphasized that local police were informed that they would be responsible for securing areas outside of the event perimeter.
Local police, however, have pushed back against these claims saying that “Secret Service always has the lead on securing something like this.”
Reports from residents surrounding the rally location have added context to the lack of security measures taken.
One resident, Valerie Fennell, said, “Nobody contacted me. Nobody. Nobody called me, nobody stopped here. I kinda was thinking that as close as my house is, that I honestly thought this might be part of a command station at some point.”
Fennell said that she was not alone. “I was talking to my neighbors yesterday, and none of them had gotten a call. Or anything,” Fennell explained.
The assassination attempt has not only intensified the scrutiny of security measures but also sparked a blame game between the Secret Service and local police.
As investigations continue, the focus remains on identifying the gaps in security that allowed the incident to occur. Both agencies are under pressure to improve their coordination and ensure such lapses do not happen in the future.
