The Congressional investigation into assassination attempts on President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) for providing minimal cooperation.

The Daily Caller reported that the task force criticized the lack of security measures and cooperation, stating that better efforts could have prevented the attack at a Pennsylvania rally.

On July 13, 2024, an assailant attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, PA. The House task force has concluded that the attempt was preventable, pointing to a series of leadership, planning, and execution failures that exposed Trump and attendees to significant risks.

The FBI has been particularly reticent, providing limited info on the Butler, PA, attempt, citing "significant law enforcement sensitivities." For the second attempt in Florida, where the assailant was captured, the FBI did not provide any documents and only a single briefing, stoking further frustration among task force members.

Investigative Challenges Highlighted in FBI's Responses

Critics inside the task force argue that the phrase "ongoing investigation" used by the FBI shouldn't restrict Congress from accessing crucial information for oversight purposes. The task force feels this obstructs their ability to perform constitutional duties adequately.

The Congressional report emphasizes the urgent need to reorganize the Secret Service within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and recommends reducing the scale of protection for foreign dignitaries to redirect resources.

The task force attempted to obtain specific details about the perpetrator of the Butler incident, Thomas Matthew Crooks, but the FBI provided limited cooperation. The FBI declined to share detailed digital analysis or the documents requested by investigators.

Proposals for Refined Congressional Oversight

The task force has proposed that Congress should "clarify its right" to procure critical information from law enforcement during such investigations, to enhance transparency and accountability in future security operations. This recommendation has stemmed from struggles to access pertinent details about the second attempt and the overall preparation and response by multiple agencies.

Throughout their investigation, the task force reviewed over 18,000 pages of documents and conducted 46 witness interviews. These extensive efforts were to piece together what went wrong and how similar risks could be mitigated in the future.

Addressing the Butler event, the task force found numerous failures in the execution and planning stages. They noted that "there was not, however, a singular moment or decision that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to nearly assassinate the former President." Instead, it was a culmination of various planning and operational failures.

Reflecting on Leadership and Execution Failures

The task force report expressed that these thwarted assassination attempts spotlight considerable gaps in the security framework that protects high-profile figures such as Trump. The report pushes for strategic adjustments to prevent future incidents.

In its conclusions, the task force highlighted the preventable nature of the Butler rally incident, criticizing the existing operational structures for not effectively utilizing human and material resources to safeguard the event.

Looking ahead, the task force’s findings and recommendations aim to reform aspects of federal security operations to ensure that more robust measures are in place for the protection of significant political figures during critical public engagements.