The House task force on the assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump was divided Thursday after Republicans invited two members of Congress who have promoted conspiracy theories about the shooting as witnesses during a hearing.
Democrats on the committee refused to appear before the committee in the afternoon during the testimony of Republican Reps. Eli Crane (Ariz.) and Cory Mills (Florida), both former military snipers.
The two men are conducting their own unauthorized investigation after they were not selected to serve on the official task force investigating the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. They are spreading conspiracy theories that the shooting was an inside attack. Thomas Crooks, 20, was not the only gunman, but multiple people.
On Thursday, they encouraged the task force to investigate the theory that there is a second gunman working with Crooks.
“I appeal to you all to continue moving forward without fear of being labeled a conspiracy theorist by considering all possible outcomes,” Mills told the remaining Republicans in the room. I want to,” he said.
Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Florida and a member of the special committee, assured the men that the committee would investigate “all relevant theories.”
Outside the hearing room, Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, the top Democrat on the task force, said Republicans surprised Democrats by inviting Mr. Crane and Mr. Mills to testify.
“We didn’t receive the notice until late yesterday,” Crow said, adding that Democrats felt uncomfortable that they didn’t have time to further discuss what the men were trying to say.
Rep. Madeline Dean, D-Pennsylvania, said she is aware of the theory that Mills and Crane have been promoting. Still, she said she believes the committee’s chairman, Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pennsylvania, will find a way to restore a sense of bipartisanship to the committee.
“I don’t want to be part of the growing conspiracy,” Dean said. “I’ve always been a person who wants to gather the facts first, rather than jumping to conclusions and trying to make the ending fit my conclusion. That’s why I think it’s best if they can say what they want to say. I think it’s good and I hope we get back to the spirit of bipartisanship and consensus that brought this about.”
The rift arose during the first public hearings on the task force, which was approved unanimously by Congress and until Thursday prided itself on operating on a bipartisan basis.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson has faced stiff criticism from the right wing of his party for not appointing Crane or Mills to the committee. Mr Mills suggested in his own investigation that “gross criminal negligence” and “criminal intent” may have been involved.
Kelly said outside the hearing room that he invited the men to testify based on their expertise as snipers. He said they were there to testify about law enforcement’s failure to secure the perimeter at the event in Butler.
“If they want to participate, they can participate,” Kelly said of the Democratic Party’s withdrawal. “If you decide not to do it, you can too.”
The hearing began on a bipartisan basis, with Democrats and Republicans alike condemning the Secret Service’s failures while calling for more funding for Secret Service reform.
“The Secret Service must be expected to accomplish its mission of zero-fail protection without error,” Crowe said. “But Congress must also ensure that the Secret Service has the resources it needs to accomplish its mission. Since July 13, it has become clear that the Secret Service is stretched too thin.”
The panel also introduced newly released video showing the crucial moment when a police officer confronts a would-be assassin on a rooftop and then collapses, clearly afraid of being shot himself.
Testimony this morning came primarily from Pennsylvania officials, including the medical examiner who performed Mr. Crooks’ autopsy.
Dr. Ariel Goldschmidt, the coroner for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, told lawmakers that Crooks died from a single gunshot wound to the head that entered the body through the lip. He said a toxicology report showed slightly elevated levels of lead in Mr Crooks’ body, but there was nothing else abnormal.
Thursday was the first time local law enforcement had a chance to publicly explain their role on July 13 and how planning with the Secret Service unfolded in the days leading up to the rally.
In the weeks following the rally, local officials blamed the Secret Service for security lapses, even though Secret Service leaders ultimately acknowledged the agency was at fault. I was irritated by the comments that seemed to be saying something.
At the beginning of Thursday’s hearing, Kelly praised local police officers who helped provide security on July 13.
“Local law enforcement has done far too much,” Kelly said. “Your work that day was exceptional.”
