Top Dem who visited Butler says local officials told him 'we need to talk' more about Secret Service failures
A top House Democrat who took part in a bipartisan walk-through of the Butler Farm Show grounds in Pennsylvania, where former President Trump was nearly assassinated, said law enforcement rank-and-file seem apprehensive to speak publicly about "who’s in charge."
Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said officers who serve are "great people" and that breakdowns that led to the fatal event earlier this month prove interagency clarity in cooperation is badly lacking.
Correa praised Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris for being forthright during Tuesday’s hearing. He added that local officials and law enforcement in the Butler area he met with Monday were equally admirable.
Correa said local agency members approached him during a private congressional walk-through and told him they needed to talk some more about what they saw on the ground.
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"A couple of folks there kind of hinted to me that everybody locally is not comfortable going out and giving their opinion," he said. "But one individual said he’s not quite sure who was in charge.
"There was a local supervisor or council member who said that we need to talk some more. You guys (Congress) need to hear more about what happened and what didn't happen. They weren't here [in Washington]. We need to get their opinions and thoughts. Those are the people that were where the rubber meets the road, so to speak," he said.
Correa added that, comparatively speaking, the Secret Service is a small operation of around 3,600 agents, while Paris said the PSP employs about 6,000.
"The local police and state troopers really are force multipliers, and, in this case, there are some things you need to work on to fix the process," Correa said.
He said after the House hearing with Paris and his trip to Northwest Pennsylvania the best thing to do is go "back to the drawing board and really start kicking the tires in terms of guidance and Secret Service and what they do and how they address and work with local public safety agencies."
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"It’s been 40 years since we had an incident like this," he said, referring to John Hinckley Jr. shooting former President Reagan in front of the Washington Hilton.
"I think over these last 40 years, a lot has changed; protocols maybe, situations, circumstances. And I think we need to ask some tough questions of the Secret Service, not because they've done a bad job, but rather because they're expected to score 100%," Correa said.
Asked about Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigning earlier Tuesday, Correa said, in practice, her "resignation solves nothing."
"She apparently did very poor in [Monday’s] hearing. I was not there," he said. "Her resignation does nothing to fix the problem. I'm going to focus on fixing the problem."
ox News Digital also asked the Californian about his former colleague in state government, Vice President Kamala Harris, reportedly earning enough delegates’ support to be considered the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Correa, who served in the California state legislature while Kamala Harris was attorney general, said the important takeaways aren’t his own, but those of other Californians and Americans.
"The issue isn't what elected Congressman Lou’s reaction is. I think the better gauge of the answer to your question is look at the enthusiasm," he said, pointing to Harris’ campaign raising nearly $90 million in the time since President Biden bowed out of the race.
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"That is something totally unexpected," he said.
"Now, as Congressman Lou or former State Senator Lou, I can tell you, I worked with Kamala when she was attorney general. I saw her work on issues like solving sex crimes by funding DNA rape test kits, working on those issues. I saw her work, and I'm excited because her record will be presented to people in this country.
"You've got a former attorney general, former top cop of California, now running on her record. So, it's going to be a good refreshing change in terms of the dynamic."
Correa added that he has now heard the "age" criticism flip from Biden to Trump, but he also joked that "us older folks do have some things to contribute too."
Correa was one of three Democrats from his committee to tour the location of the assassination attempt. The other two, ranking member Bennie Thompson of Mississippi and Rep. Glenn Ivey of Maryland, took part in Tuesday's hearing.