House unanimously votes to form task force to investigate Trump assassination attempt

House Resolution 1367 passed the congressional chamber in a vote of 416-0 in favor, a motion that marks a bipartisan step in the chamber that often has partisan battles between the Republicans and Democrats in Congress. Following a disastrous hearing on Monday for USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle, the head of the agency resigned after there was a call from both sides of the aisle for her to step down.

The resolution read: "There is hereby established in the House of Representatives the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump." The function of the task force will be to "investigate and fully examine all actions by any agency, Department, officer, or employee of the Federal Government, as well as State and local law enforcement or any other State or local government or private entities or individuals, related to the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania; and issue a final report of its findings to the House not later than December 13, 2024, including any recommendations for legislative reforms necessary to prevent future security lapses."

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) made a statement on the matter, saying, “Protecting the safety and security of our nation’s leaders is a responsibility that transcends party lines. Today, the House approved the establishment of a bipartisan task force to thoroughly investigate the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The task force’s mission is clear: to determine what led to the inexcusable security failures, ensure accountability, and make certain no such lapses ever happen again.”

The effort was established earlier this week, with Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) "announcing a House Task Force made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats to thoroughly investigate the matter."

Johnson said that the task force will have subpoena power in order to "ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again."

On July 13, several failures of the USSS led to an assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Bulter Pennsylvania. Trump was hit in the ear by a bullet and was able to walk away from the incident. Others in the crowd behind him were not as fortunate, with two men being critically injured from the gunfire. 50-year-old Corey Comperatore was fatally shot in the chaos. Comperatore's last heroic act was shielding his daughters and wife from the gunshots, and he was a former volunteer fire chief.