Secret Service and FBI ‘dragging’ on Trump assassination attempt investigation: Ron Johnson – Washington Examiner
Senator Ron Johnson has criticized the Secret Service and FBI for their slow response in providing information related to the investigation of an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. As the leader of a bipartisan Senate task force looking into the matter, Johnson expressed frustration over the heavily redacted documents they have received and the delay in responses from the agencies involved. He noted that interviews have been hindered due to the timing of document deliveries, which come just before interviews, making them less useful. Johnson raised concerns that the agencies’ actions are fueling suspicions and conspiracy theories, particularly over the handling of the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspected assassin, which was cremated before autopsy results were available. Additionally, Rep. Clay Higgins mentioned that he sought to examine Crooks’s body but found that it had been released to the family shortly after the incident, prompting further scrutiny of the agencies’ procedures. Johnson emphasized that such handling undermines trust and accountability, suggesting that these agencies believe they can evade Congressional scrutiny.
Secret Service and FBI ‘dragging’ on Trump assassination attempt investigation: Ron Johnson
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) accused the Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation of “basically dragging their feet” on providing information to help investigate the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.
The task force, established shortly after the assassination attempt, has sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. requesting documents and briefings from the agencies regarding the shooting. Johnson, the leader of the Senate’s bipartisan investigation into the assassination attempt, could not provide much of an update, claiming the Secret Service and FBI are taking their time with it.
“And we’ve gotten some transcribed interviews, but the documents we request are heavily redacted,” Johnson said on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo. “They’re delivered the day of the interview, so we really can’t use the documents to conduct the interviews effectively, so we’re not getting squat from my standpoint from the Secret Service or the FBI.”
Johnson also argued that both of these agencies are raising suspicions and conspiracy theories with how they have helped in this investigation, as “this is exactly how you do that.” He add that it is “jaw-dropping” how the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was identified as Trump’s would-be assassin, was released for cremation before anyone had seen any autopsy reports.
“Again, it’s just driving suspicion and conspiracy theories,” Johnson said.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) has stated he went to examine Crooks’s body on Aug. 5, but that it was released to the Crooks family 10 days after the shooting on July 23. The FBI has stated that the body was released in coordination with the coroner’s office, along with state and local law enforcement partners, “in keeping with normal procedures.”
Johnson added that these agencies do not think they can come under scrutiny by Congress and the public, and that it is up to them to decide what information will be released and when it is released.
The task force investigation is expected to conclude and produce a final report by Dec. 13, although lawmakers are expected to release interim reports along the way, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
Meanwhile, House Republicans conducting their own independent investigation on Trump’s assassination attempt, led by Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Eli Crane (R-AZ), will hold a “forum” on Monday. The event will be held at the Heritage Foundation headquarters in Washington, D.C., and include three witnesses: Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service special agent; Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL officer; and Ben Shaffer, a Washington regional SWAT operator.
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