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Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., revealed on Thursday that he believes Americans will be “shocked” when the bipartisan committee investigating the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump is released.
The Connecticut Democrat shared the comments after a meeting that Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe held with senators about the issue on Thursday that was closed to the media.
“I think the American people are going to be shocked, astonished and appalled by what we will report to them about the failures by the Secret Service in this assassination attempt on the former president,” Blumenthal told Fox News.
“But I think they also ought to be appalled and astonished by the failure of the Department of Homeland Security to be more forthcoming, to be as candid and frank, as it should be to them in terms of providing information,” he added.
The comments came just days after Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall called for an expanded investigation into the assassination attempt of Trump. The Washington Examiner revealed Marshall’s letter sent to the Department of Homeland Security in an exclusive Monday account.
“USSS protection procedures are not transparent to the American people, even following two recent Congressional hearings during which my colleagues and I posed probing questions to the USSS Director and Acting Director, only to receive unsatisfactory nonanswers,” Marshall, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, wrote.
The senator also expressed concerns over the lack of accountability during the investigation.
“Nearly two months after an assassination attempt that left President Trump within centimeters of his life, there are still no answers or accountability for the Secret Service’s failures that day,” Marshall said in a statement to the outlet.
The July 13 assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Crooks resulted in a bullet grazing Trump’s right ear. Crooks fired approximately eight shots before he was eliminated by a sniper.
Corey Comperatore, 50, of Sarver, Pennsylvania, was killed during the attack. Two other men were seriously injured. David Dutch, a 57-year-old resident of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, and 74-year-old James Copenhaver, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania.
At least five U.S. Secret Service agents involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave. Now-former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned shortly after the shooting after pressure from lawmakers over security lapse allegations.
