Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced Monday that at President Joe Biden’s direction, he would be seeking an “independent” review of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, as lawmakers demand answers about the tragic Pennsylvania incident.
“We are going to be reaching out very, very shortly to individuals who will hopefully lead that independent review,” Mayorkas said at the White House press briefing, noting that the individuals conducting the investigation would be from outside the agency.
“I am committed to going externally of the department and externally of the government so that no question of its independence can be raised,” Mayorkas said. “It’s very important that this independent review [has] the confidence of the people.”
In an interview on CNN, Mayorkas called the assassination attempt a “failure” of security, though he did not offer further details about the independent review.
This external probe comes on top of the FBI’s criminal investigation into the incident “as the lead investigating agency into the assassination attempt,” per Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Cheatle also said the Secret Service, which is under the Department of Homeland Security, would cooperate with both independent and congressional investigations and oversight of the incident.
Both House Oversight and Homeland Security Committees have announced that they will be conducting reviews of what happened on Saturday. “The United States Secret Service has a no-fail mission, yet it failed on Saturday when a madman attempted to assassinate President Trump, killed an innocent victim and harmed others,” Rep. James Comer said Monday morning. “Questions remain about how a rooftop within proximity to President Trump was left unsecure.”
The Committee on Homeland Security also said in a statement on Saturday evening that their aim is “to ensure the American people receive answers.”
“Whoever is responsible must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Rep. Mark Green, the committee’s chair, said.
The FBI has identified the shooter, who was killed by the Secret Service immediately after the assassination attempt.
“We do not know the motive of the shooter yet. We don’t know his opinions or affiliations. We don’t know whether he had help or support or if he communicated with anyone else,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “Law enforcement professionals are investigating those questions.”
Biden has also ordered for Secret Service protection to be provided to presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the coming days, Mayorkas said. In light of the situation, other changes have been made as well.
“Adjustments have been made to the former president’s detail, to the current president’s detail and the vice president’s detail,” the secretary noted.
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John T. Seward is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.