In a whirlwind 48 hours since the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, the FBI has already interviewed nearly 100 people. House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green was updated on the situation via phone, with a senior FBI official confirming the federal agency had taken the investigative reins.
But let’s not kid ourselves—this isn’t just any run-of-the-mill investigation. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, now has the full, undivided attention of the FBI. His cellphone is under scrutiny, and the feds have classified this as a case of “domestic terrorism.” Pardon the skepticism, but it’s about time the bureaucratic behemoth woke up to reality.
The efforts are multi-faceted, involving the Secret Service and its own review of potential security lapses. Green, spearheading the Republican charge, plans to inspect the rally site post-processing. This should be a sight to behold, given the Keystone Cops-style security that allowed this mind-boggling breach in the first place.
JUST IN: House committee aide tells me that the FBI has conducted nearly 100 interviews since the Trump assassination attempt 48 hours ago https://t.co/yTfuSO0Be5
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) July 16, 2024
Meanwhile, a broadside is being prepared on Capitol Hill. Both the House and Senate are gearing up for a multi-committee inquisition into the Secret Service’s glaring security failures. House Oversight is slated for a virtual briefing, while Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle will likely endure the hot seat treatment later this month. Heads better roll; America’s had just about enough of bureaucratic finger-pointing and “we’re investigating” platitudes.
Not to be outdone, the House Judiciary Committee has trained its sights on the FBI and ATF. Simultaneously, Green’s Homeland Security Committee will scrutinize the Department of Homeland Security and its agency overseer, the Secret Service. For those keeping tabs, Green and his compatriots already led the successful charge to impeach Mayorkas over the southern border fiasco earlier this year. After this barking-mad assassination attempt, the expectation is that the same relentless pursuit of accountability continues. Pray that lessons are learned before it’s too late.