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Rally shooting prompts bill to give more Secret Service support to Trump, Biden and RFK Jr.
Lawmakers are pushing for enhanced Secret Service protection for presidential candidates in the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump's life.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire at former President Donald Trump with an AR-style rifle from a roof 130 yards from his campaign rally stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, at 6:15 p.m.
The 20-year-old would-be assassin was a registered Republican who had donated to President Biden. Bullets from his gun killed Corey Comperatore, the retired fire chief of Buffalo Township, who died a hero protecting his family.
Since then, elected lawmakers have decried the total 'security failure' that allowed Crooks to get in position to shot at Trump - at such a short distance away.
Reps. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat, and Mike Lawler, a Republican, both of New York, released a joint statement announcing the enhanced efforts on Sunday.
'Last night’s attempted assassination of former President Trump was a dark moment in our nation’s history,' they wrote. 'As reports continue to emerge, it’s clear that more protection is needed for all major candidates for president.'
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures with a bloodied face while he is assisted by U.S. Secret Service personnel after he was shot in the right ear during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 13
'That’s why we’re planning on introducing bipartisan legislation providing President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. with enhanced Secret Service protection.'
'Anything less would be a disservice to our democracy,' the statement said.
It has raised concerns over the security of all presidential candidates, particularly Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been refused Secret Service protection up until this point.
Even with a long family history of political violence, RFK's repeated requests for U.S. federal security have been denied.
RFK's requests for security have also come from concerned family members, like the candidate's wife Cheryl Hines.
Torres said in a Sunday post on X wrote: 'Congressman Mike Lawler and I are putting aside partisan differences to make a bipartisan push for enhanced Secret Service Protection for President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump, and presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.'
'We plan to introduce bipartisan legislation in the wake of the attempted assassination,' he continued.
The Secret Service has also come out against allegations that Trump's team requested additional support before the event in Butler.
'Theres an untrue assertion that a member of the former President’s team requested additional security resources & that those were rebuffed,' Anthony Gugliemi, an agency spokesman posted on X Sunday morning.
'This is absolutely false,' he continued. 'In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo.'
That announcement comes as speculation swirls over Secret Service's response to the incident - mainly pointed at how a gunman could have gotten within range seemingly unnoticed.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a campaign rally at the Fox Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, U.S. February 5, 2024. He has requested Secret Service repeatedly but has been denied by federal officials. New legislation could change his protective status
President Biden has by far the most robust protective detail, but the new measures would impact his protection as well, according to the lawmakers
Trump pumps his fist as Secret Service agents escort him off stage
Images of Crooks wearing glasses, braces, and an American flag t-shirt in a yearbook headshots emerged on Sunday morning, hours after he tried to take out the presumptive Republican nominee and killed a member of the rally crowd.
Crooks' ability to get onto a roof so close raised criticism by lawmakers, and has prompted a slurry of calls for investigative action.
The House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com in a statement that he plans to hold a hearing with the Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to get to the bottom of the failures.
Snipers stand on a roof at Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania
A screen grab captured from a video shows the shooter Crooks was killed by the Secret Service, according to a source from the agency
'There are many questions and Americans demand answers,' Comer said. 'I have already contacted the Secret Service for a briefing and am also calling on Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to appear for a hearing.'
That hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 22.
The House Homeland Security Committee has also announced investigative actions looking into the attempted assassination.