Reps. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Jason Crow (D-Colo.) joined ABC’s “This Week” ahead of their hearing Thursday about former President Trump’s assassination attempt.
They argued that the Secret Service is “stretched thin” during a time of heightened political tension and increased threats to elected officials and those running for office.
“Look, this is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is an American issue. We have to protect those who we have up for election and those that are already serving,” Kelly said Sunday. “It’s a very dangerous time for us to be looking at this and thinking, this is just the way the world is. It’s not, and we cannot accept this as Americans.”
Kelly and Crow argued there is danger behind political rhetoric and pointed to the assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. in July, when a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally. A bullet grazed the former president. One person was killed, and two others were injured.
Weeks later, a gunman was shot at on Trump’s golf course after Secret Service noticed a rifle barrel pointing through the perimeter in what is being considered an apparent assassination attempt.
The lawmakers argue that those instances are part of a larger problem that the Secret Service hasn’t been able to address due to a lack of resources.
The task force will examine the Secret Service’s funding, staffing, and preparation for Trump’s rally. Kelly said they were “too casual” in the days before the event.
“Our Secret Service now is trying to guard more people than they’ve ever had to guard in the past, and there’s such a heightened atmosphere right now listening to everything that’s taking place around the United States,” Kelly said.
Crow argued that the bipartisan task force is investigating both incidents and trying to show that Republicans and Democrats can work together toward a common goal of safety.
“There’s a big difference between having tough debates during the political season, which is what we should do in condemning political violence and saying there is no place in American society, whether you’re a Republican or Democrat, for anybody ever to take actions into their own hands and resort to violence,” Crow said.
