House Task Force on Trump’s 1st Assassination Attempt Likely to Probe 2nd: Chairman

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), chairman of the Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, speaks to the press after touring the July 13 shooting site at the Butler Farm Show Grounds in Butler, Pa., on Aug. 26, 2024. Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’s Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump said on Sept. 16 that his committee will likely investigate the second such attempt on Trump’s life in West Palm Beach that occurred on Sept. 15.

Trump, a former U.S. president and the Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election, had been playing golf at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach on Sept. 15 when the incident occurred.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, a U.S. Secret Service agent spotted the muzzle of a rifle through a hedge at the golf course and opened fire. Trump was unharmed and the suspected shooter, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was later apprehended.

The suspect did not fire any shots, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), chairman of the task force—formed after the first assassination attempt on Trump on July 13—told The Epoch Times that his committee would likely add an investigation of the second assassination attempt to its portfolio of work.

“I think that we’re probably going to merge the two events with the task force: one being a very public event, the other being a very private event,” Kelly said.

Routh, a convicted felon and political activist, had an SKS-style rifle, according to authorities. Routh initially escaped after the Secret Service opened fire.

He was apprehended 40 minutes later, pulled over by sheriff’s deputies while driving on Interstate 95 in adjacent Martin County after fleeing in a black SUV that a witness identified.

Routh was arraigned on Sept. 16 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, where he was charged with two firearms-related offenses. The criminal complaint states that he allegedly waited 12 hours by the golf course before he was spotted.

Other charges against Routh are likely to be added as the investigation continues, said Palm Beach County State Attorney David Aaronberg at the press conference.

The first assassination attempt occurred on July 13 while Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old shooter, fired at Trump from a rooftop 400 yards away and grazed Trump’s ear with a bullet.

Crooks was killed shortly afterward by Secret Service counter-snipers, and Trump was otherwise uninjured. Bullets hit and killed former firefighter Corey Comperatore of Sarver, Pennsylvania, and injured two other spectators.

Since then, the task force has obtained thousands of documents from the Secret Service, FBI, and other state and local law enforcement agencies. The task force was created by a House resolution on July 24, with unanimous support from Democrats and Republicans. The panel is required to report its findings no later than Dec. 13.

Kelly said he had spoken to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) about expanding the task force’s mandate to encompass both assassination attempts.

“We’re the only ones with subpoena power,” Kelly told The Epoch Times, referring to Congress’s authority to compel third parties to submit documents to the body or risk prosecution.

The FBI is investigating Crooks and his motivations, while the Department of Homeland Security is also conducting an independent review of the incident.

“[We are] serious about getting to the answers,” Kelly said.

In a statement, Johnson said, “There’s going to be reports and recommendations coming forward, and Congress will act swiftly. We need accountability.” He did not say whether the task force’s portfolio would be expanded.