Mike Kelly

07/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/29/2024 17:50

Rep. Mike Kelly to Chair Bipartisan Task Force to Investigate the Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump

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July 29, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) was named as Chairman of the Bipartisan House Task Force on the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, which occurred in Kelly's hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. The bipartisan panel will be composed of seven Republicans, six Democrats.

Last week, Kelly first introduced legislation to form the task force. The legislation unanimously passed the House on Wednesday.

"I want to thank Speaker Johnson for appointing me to this important and solemn role. As we launch this task force, it's important that we set politics aside and work together to restore the faith, trust, and confidence in our government for the American people," said Rep. Kelly. "It's critical that we investigate, detail, and explain the security breakdowns that tragically killed one person, injured two others, and nearly claimed President Trump's life. We must never let something like this happen again. The American people have a right to know what happened. Congress has a responsibility to find out."

"We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified, and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and help make certain such failures never happen again," said Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries.

Speaker Mike Johnson and Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced the following members will join Rep. Kelly on the task force:

Republican Members of the Task Force:

Chairman Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16) represents Pennsylvania's 16th District and resides in his hometown of Butler, the location of the assassination attempt. He has longstanding ties to the local law enforcement community, is the author of the resolution creating the Task Force and will serve as its chairman.

Rep. Mark Green (TN-07) is a former U.S. Army major, combat veteran, and E.R. physician. He is the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Rep. David Joyce (OH-14) served as an attorney and county prosecutor for 25 years and is former Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security.

Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15) is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, a former judge for Florida's 13th Judicial Circuit, and former Florida Secretary of State. She serves on the Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees.

Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06) is retired from the U.S. Army Special Forces and is a former White House and Pentagon advisor. He serves on the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Oversight Committees.

Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03) is a former U.S. Army staff sergeant and former law enforcement officer who maintains an active commission and Peace Officer's Standards and Training (POST) certification. He serves on the Homeland Security and Oversight Committees.

Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04) is a former U.S. Air Force officer, and serves on the Oversight and Armed Services Committees, and their respective subcommittees dealing with Tactical Air and Land Forces and National Security.


Democratic Members of the Task Force:

Ranking Member Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) is a decorated former Army Ranger having served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Rep. Crow was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his heroism in Iraq. He is a Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) is a senior Member of the House Judiciary and the House Homeland Security Committees, where he sits on the Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement & Intelligence Subcommittee. In that capacity, Rep. Correa recently traveled to Butler, PA to visit the site of the assassination attempt.

Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) currently serves on the House Judiciary and House Foreign Affairs Committees and is a longtime Pennsylvania public servant, having served in the State House for six and a half years before coming to Congress.

Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) is a veteran of the United States Air Force and currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04) is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and State's Attorney for Prince George's County who now serves on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Ethics Committees.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) is the former Florida Director of Emergency Management, where he oversaw both disaster response and after-action analysis. He serves on the House Oversight and Accountability and Foreign Affairs Committees.

Background on the Task Force:

The Task Force is empowered with all investigative authority of the House of Representatives, including subpoena authority. For the remainder of this Congress, it will assume control and jurisdiction over all pending House committee investigations regarding the Trump assassination attempt.

The goal of the Task Force is threefold:

  • To understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination\
  • To ensure accountability
  • To prevent such an agency failure from ever happening again

The Task Force will make recommendations for reform to the relevant government agencies and recommend any necessary legislation to implement the reforms.

BACKGROUND

On Wednesday, July 24, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a H. Res. 1367, a resolution Kelly to formally establish a task force charged with investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Kelly's hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. The shooting wounded Mr. Trump, killed Corey Comperatore, of Sarver, Pa., and injured two other Pennsylvanians. The resolution overwhelmingly passed by a vote of 416-0.

Before the vote Wednesday evening, Rep. Kelly spoke on the House floor about the importance of bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt. You can watch his remarks here.

Kelly, who resides in and represents Butler, Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives, attended former President Trump's rally in Butler on July 13. Kelly introduced the resolution on Monday, July 22.

Additionally, Kelly led efforts in Washington last week to honor Corey Comperatore, the Butler County, Pa. man who was killed during the assassination attempt. On Monday, Rep. Kelly led the Pennsylvania delegation to honor Mr. Comperatore on the floor of the House of Representatives. You can watch his remarks here. You can also read Rep. Kelly's resolution to honor Mr. Comperatore here.

You can learn more about Mr. Comperatore's life and dedication to family, community, and country here.