House votes to create a task force to investigate the Trump assassination attempt

The House voted without opposition Wednesday for a resolution to establish a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The task force will investigate federal, state and local law enforcement and agency actions in the lead-up to the attempt on Trump’s life on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Four hundred-sixteen members voted in favor of the resolution, and 16 members did not vote.

Seven Republicans and six Democrats will serve on the committee, House party leaders said in a statement.

The resolution text said the task force must issue a final report to the House by Dec. 13, noting that it should include “any recommendations for legislative reforms necessary to prevent future security lapses.”

In a statement after the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that “protecting the safety and security of our nation’s leaders is a responsibility that transcends party lines.”

Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., announced their intention Tuesday to create the task force, which will have subpoena authority.

Johnson and Jeffries said the task force would seek to understand what went wrong, ensure accountability and prevent a similar failure.

“The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life are shocking,” the pair said in a statement Tuesday.

Outside of the task force plans, the Department of Homeland Security has opened reviews into three aspects of Secret Service planning and preparedness related to the shooting.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday, just a day after her testimony before the House Oversight Committee was panned by members of both parties who said she appeared unprepared for their questions.

A gunman opened fire just minutes into Trump’s rally in Butler, killing a rallygoer and injuring two others. Trump was shot in the ear.

The shooter has been identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. The Secret Service killed him as the attack unfolded.

NBC News has reported that Crooks was identified as a suspicious person one hour before the shooting, according to sources. NBC News also reported that Crooks flew a drone over the venue in the hours before the attack.