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Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green, R-Md., Republican from Tennessee, released a statement after being appointed to the bipartisan House task force responsible for investigating the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.
Green expressed his honor to serve in a key role in determining the factors involved in the shooting.
“I am honored to join my colleagues on this bipartisan task force, including Representatives Higgins and Lee of the House Committee on Homeland Security, to more deeply investigate the countless security failures of July 13,” Green wrote.
“DHS and the Secret Service’s utter failure to safeguard a former president and current candidate for our nation’s highest office was unacceptable from the start, and it grows more troubling with each new report and effort by the Biden-Harris administration to stonewall congressional oversight,” he added.
The congressman added that the goal is to stop future attacks on American leaders, calling on former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to cooperate in the investigation.
“Establishing this task force is a critical step in addressing this failure and ensuring we get the American people the answers they deserve. We will do everything in our power to ensure nothing like this ever happens again, and I encourage DHS, as well as former Secret Service Director Cheatle, to cooperate with our bipartisan oversight mission,” Green concluded.
The bipartisan group includes seven Republicans and six Democrats, who were chosen by House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The Republican members include Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mark Green of Tennessee, David Joyce of Ohio, Laurel Lee of Florida, Michael Waltz of Florida, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, and Pat Fallon of Texas.
The Democratic members include Jason Crow of Colorado, Lou Correa of California, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania, Glenn Ivey of Maryland, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.
Kelly, whose district includes Butler County, where the shooting occurred, will operate as the task force’s chairman.
The final report from the task force must be submitted by Dec. 13.
Chairman Green also noted that the committee heard testimony last week from Colonel Christopher Paris, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, and Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the attempted assassination against Trump.
Secret Service Director Cheatle resigned on July 23 following pressure to leave her role over security failures that led to the assassination attempt that killed one attendee and seriously injured two others. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, was also killed.
