Task force requests documents from authorities on second Trump assassination attempt

The House task force investigating the assassination attempts on former President Trump’s life sent two letters to Biden administration officials in September, requesting documents and information related to the second threat.

One letter was sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI, and the second was addressed to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Secret Service, according to a press release issued Friday.

Both inquiries, signed by task force Chair Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and ranking member Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), called for “all records in possession, custody or control” of the groups related to the Sept. 15 incident by no later than Oct. 11.

The September assassination attempt, the second one in a span of three months, occurred at the former president’s golf resort in West Palm Beach, Fla., when Secret Service noticed a man pushing his rifle through the perimeter of the course. A suspect, identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, pleaded not guilty after being charged with federal gun crimes.

Trump has previously accused the DOJ and the FBI of “mishandling and downplaying” the threat, suggesting that the case should instead be handled by the Florida authorities.

“The Kamala Harris/Joe Biden Department of Justice and FBI are mishandling and downplaying the second assassination attempt on my life since July. The charges brought against the maniac assassin are a slap on the wrist,” he wrote in a lengthy statement following the incident.

“It’s no wonder, since the DOJ and FBI have been coming after me nonstop with Weaponized Lawfare since I announced my first Historic Campaign for the Presidency,” he added.

The Secret Service has faced increasing scrutiny in the wake of both assassination attempts against the former president. The first, when Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet during a July rally in Pennsylvania, led to the resignation of former Director Kimberly Cheatle.

After the first threat, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee issued a scathing report on the Secret Service’s multiple failures during the campaign event in Butler, Pa. The former president will return to the site Saturday to hold another campaign event.

Both chambers of Congress have also recently passed legislation to boost security around the GOP presidential nominee.

In response to a request for comment, DHS said that it responds to congressional correspondence through official channels and that it will “continue to respond to congressional oversight.”

The Hill has also reached out to the FBI, DOJ and Secret Service.