Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut criticized the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) response to information requests surrounding the July assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on Monday.
Blumenthal told reporters that the DHS was “almost derelict in its duty” after repeatedly “stonewalling” Congressional efforts to obtain documents and relevant information pertaining to the July 13 Trump assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Blumenthal also said that if the DHS upheld their lack of transparency, he would resort to subpoenaing the department.
“I am reaching the point of total outrage because the response from the Department of Homeland Security has been totally lacking,” Blumenthal said. “In fact, I think it’s tantamount to stonewalling in many respects. The Department of Homeland Security has to be more forthcoming, not only to me, but to the American people.”
“We may need to require more cooperation from them,” Blumenthal continued. “And we have the power to do so through the compulsory process. In other words, the subpoena power.”
20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to take aim and fire shots at the former President from a rooftop positioned just 130 yards away, sparking numerous investigations into the security lapses that allowed the event to transpire. Crooks was reportedly spotted by witnesses, flagged by the Secret Service, and even identified by a local counter sniper over an hour before Trump stepped onto the stage.
Just two months after the first assassination attempt, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly attempted to assassinate Trump on Sunday while the former President was golfing at the Trump International Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Florida. Routh was promptly arrested after his “AK-47 style rifle with a scope” was spotted by a Secret Service agent.
The DHS “remains committed to working in good faith and making every effort to cooperate with the appropriate and relevant investigations into July 13th to identify how this happened and how to prevent it from happening again,” according to a statement given to Fox News.
“Since July 13, the Department and the U.S. Secret Service have provided the Senate with multiple briefings, nearly 2,500 pages of documents, and more than 50 hours of transcribed interviews,” the DHS told Fox News. “It has done so while also cooperating with investigations by the House Special Task Force, the Independent Review Panel directed by the President, the DHS OIG, and the Government Accountability Office. Claims that the Department and Secret Service are not cooperating are false and fail to recognize the robust response and ongoing work to meet Congress’ oversight requests, and our clear commitment to accountability for the events of July 13th.”
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