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Rep. Lou Correa joins task force to investigate assassination attempt of former President Trump

July 30, 2024

Rep. Lou Correa was appointed to a bipartisan task force entrusted with investigating the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

The members of the task force — seven Republicans and six Democrats — were announced by House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday, July 29, following a unanimous vote by the House last week to establish the group.

Correa, the only California member on the task force, prioritizes national security in Congress. The Anaheim Democrat serves on the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees and also sits on the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement and Intelligence.

He was part of a delegation of lawmakers last week who visited Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the attempted assassination.

Trump was struck with a bullet in the ear at a July 13 rally in Butler, according to the FBI. One of the bullets killed 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was sitting on the bleachers behind Trump, and two other attendees were seriously hurt. The 20-year-old gunman was killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.

“It appears there were a number of security lapses — and it appears that this may not have been the first major security lapse for a national political candidate,” Correa said. “Some of the witnesses I spoke to insinuated that the lines of command were not clear between the campaign and the Secret Service.”

Calling the incident “unacceptable,” Correa said he’s committed to working with his colleagues to “develop policy solutions to ensure we never face a close call like that again.”

“I’m not looking to point the finger at the Secret Service. I want to know how procedurally decisions are handled,” he said.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was grilled by Republican and Democratic lawmakers at a congressional hearing on July 22 about the Secret Service’s failure to protect the former president. She resigned the following day.

According to a press release, the goal of the task force is “to understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination, to ensure accountability and to prevent such an agency failure from happening again.”

Correa stressed that the task force and its duties are “not about any one political party.” His goal is to come up with a system that will better protect all candidates across the country, especially those at the national level, Correa said.

“This is not political, this is real,” he said. “Our success will make our democracy stronger. We will not leave any stone unturned as we think about how to make political candidates safe.”

While not the target of an assassination attempt, Correa said he felt his life was threatened on Jan. 6, 2021, when the Capitol was attacked by rioters following Trump’s election loss. That attack left a “clear imprint” on his psyche, Correa said, and he doesn’t want that to be the experience of aspiring elected officials.

“I feel like Jason Bourne whenever I’m at an event. I make a note of where the exits are, what my plan A is, what my plan B is,” said Correa. “That’s the sad part of the situation we have. We’re a democratic country, we’re a democracy, and to have people intimidated to run (for office) — that’s just sad.”

The 12 other members appointed to the task force are Republican Reps. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania who will serve as chairman; Mark Green of Tennessee; David Joyce of Ohio; Laurel Lee of Florida; Michael Waltz of Florida; Clay Higgins of Louisiana; Pat Fallon of Texas; and Democratic Reps. Jason Crow of Colorado; Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania; Chrissy Houlahan of Pennsylvania; Glenn Ivey of Maryland; and Jared Moskowitz of Florida.

The task force is required to submit a report on its findings to the House by Dec. 13, “including any recommendations for legislative reforms necessary to prevent future security lapses,” according to the resolution voted on by the House.

It’s not yet clear when the task force will first meet, and how often it will meet. Correa said he and his staff are working out the details of the schedule and next steps.

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