Johnson, Jeffries announce bipartisan Trump shooting task force

Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday morning announced they will form a bipartisan task force to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

The House will vote on a resolution establishing the task force later this week. Under the resolution, the group will include 13 members, including 6 Democrats.

“The security failures that allowed an assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life are shocking. … The task force will be empowered with subpoena authority and will move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and make certain such failures never happen again,” Johnson and Jeffries said in a joint statement.

Neither Johnson nor Jeffries said Tuesday morning who they will appoint to the task force, and members have said there is jockeying behind the scenes for a seat.

Several congressional committees are currently investigating the July 13 shooting at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Monday — but she sparked bipartisan frustration that only fueled bipartisan calls for her to resign.

The House Homeland Security Committee has also requested a trove of documents and will hold its first hearing related to the shooting on Tuesday, after Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) led a bipartisan visit to the site of Trump’s rally on Monday.

FBI Director Christopher Wray will also appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

But Johnson first said last week that he would start a task force to help focus the House’s sprawling investigation. He and Jeffries spoke on the phone on Monday.