The House will vote this week on a resolution to establish a bipartisan task force that will investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, announced last week his plans to set up the task force to streamline investigations the House Oversight, Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees have already started.
The task force, as laid out in the resolution released on Sunday, is charged with investigating “all actions by any agency, Department, officer, or employee of the federal government, as well as State and local law enforcement or any other State or local government or private entities or individuals, related to the attempted assassination of Donald J. Trump on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania.”
It must issue a final report of its findings to the House no later than Dec. 13, including “any recommendations for legislative reforms necessary to prevent future security lapses.”
The panel can also issue interim reports as it deems necessary.
The task force will have up to 11 members, six Republicans and five Democrats. Mr. Johnson will appoint the members in consultation with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat.
Mr. Johnson and Mr. Jeffries will serve as ex officio members of the task force but will not have voting privileges on the panel. They will each also get to designate a leadership staffer to have access to task force meetings, hearings, briefings and materials.
The task force will have the power to subpoena documents and witnesses to testify, whether in an open hearing or closed deposition.
The committees that have already gathered records pertaining to the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump must submit them to the task force within a week of the House adopting the resolution.
The task force will be able to hire staff or move existing House staff to be on detail to the committee, as well as request the head of any federal agency to detail staff. The panel will terminate 10 days after issuing its final report.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.