Politics

/

ArcaMax

Task force demands ATF records on Trump assassination attempt in Butler

Benjamin Kail, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on

Published in Political News

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan House task force is seeking a host of records and interviews with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms in connection with attempts on Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's life.

The task force, chaired by Butler Republican Rep. Mike Kelly, requested Thursday all records including transcripts, communications, reports, and details on personnel involved in responding to the July 13 shooting in Butler and an apparent thwarted assassination attempt at Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Sept. 15, according to a letter Thursday to ATF leadership shared with the Post-Gazette.

Kelly and the task force's top Democrat, Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., gave the ATF an Oct. 17 deadline for both the records and direct interviews with involved ATF agents.

Part of a series of investigative requests to federal, state and local agencies over the last two months, the letter comes about a month before Election Day and as authorities and the Butler County community brace for Trump's return to the site where he was nearly assassinated. The Trump campaign plans a rally in Butler on Saturday, where lawmakers and law enforcement say security will be significantly tighter following documented planning and communication failures leading up to July 13.

Lawmakers on the task force are curious to find out more about the ATF's response to both the Butler Farm Show grounds where 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally in July, and "ATF's discovery and investigation of the improvised explosive device found" at Crooks' home, as well as efforts to find "the ultimate location of, and investigation of (his) vehicle," they wrote.

The task force's latest request follows their first public hearing last week, when local law enforcement leaders from Pennsylvania testified that they received little to no direction from the Secret Service before the attempted assassination unfolded.

It also comes as Trump continues to say his life is being threatened by Iran.

Kelly and Crow asked ATF Director Steven Dettelbach for "all documents and communications related to all credible threats to former President Donald J. Trump based on intelligence developed by any federal agency and shared with ATF that were considered active, ongoing or unresolved" as of the July and September events.

 

On Sept. 15, authorities arrested 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh after he allegedly staked out one of Trump's Florida golf courses for nearly half a day before the barrel of his rifle was spotted through shrubbery by a Secret Service agent scanning the course ahead of where the former president was playing. The agent fired toward Routh, who fled and drove away before being caught later that day; he now faces federal gun and attempted assassination charges.

The task force asked ATF also to send any evidence of "changes to ATF policies and procedures" implemented since either the July or September incidents.

The group also wants to interview an undisclosed number of ATF agents who provided "critical incident response functions at approximately 6:12 p.m." in Butler; who responded to Crooks' home; and who provided support in connection with the Sept. 15 event, according to Thursday's letter.

A bipartisan Senate panel, which released a report last week highlighting severe planning failures and communication breakdowns before and during the Butler rally, is also still seeking to interview an ATF agent who was present; the committee said that thus far, it had received only an informal briefing from the bureau.

Kelly told reporters last week that the task force is on track to release its findings in a report in December.

_____


(c)2024 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

Kevin Siers John Branch Joey Weatherford Pedro X. Molina Steve Kelley Lisa Benson