Message from Congressman Scott Fitzgerald

Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I was happy to be back in Wisconsin last week, but I’m back in Washington, DC this week for legislative business.

Looking ahead to this week, there one issue that is top of mind for all members in Congress, on both sides of the aisle—the attempted assassination of President Trump. This is our first week back in session since the attempted assassination and we have a lot of questions for the Director of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Kimberly Cheatle. 

The attempted assassination in Butler, PA was nothing short of a national security breach.

 So far, eyewitness testimony and evidence point to the USSS having repeated warnings about Mr. Crooks before he was able to fire multiple shots at President Trump. An eyewitness said he informed officers that he saw someone with a gun moving “from roof to roof” shortly before the assassination attempt but it looks like little was done in advance of the shooting to prevent it from happening.   

We also know that prior to the incident taking place, local law enforcement spotted Crooks “acting suspiciously” around the magnetometers and instructed officers to keep an eye on him. Officers reportedly passed this information along to the Secret Service. Even more, approximately 30 minutes before the shooting, an officer spotted Crooks “in or just-outside” the rally venue carrying a rangefinder, but officers discussed whether he was carrying binoculars to see the rally better.  

Following a briefing I received by USSS and the FBI, and Director Cheatle’s very own testimony on Capitol Hill yesterday, it’s become clear that the problems at the Secret Service go straight to the top of the agency. 

The Secret Service had ample opportunity to take action in securing the rally ahead of time, not to mention credible intelligence leading up to the shooting. The mission of the U.S. Secret Service is to safeguard U.S. elections through protection of candidates and nominees. Director Cheatle failed in that mission, and rather than take responsibility for that failure, Director Cheatle has sought to point fingers, deflect, and stonewall congressional questions. This was on full display today at the Oversight Committee, where Director Cheatle dodged question after question—refusing to provide even a sliver of transparency or answers for the American people.

This is unbecoming of the office in which she holds, and she must resign her position immediately. 

For my part, to try and get more answers surrounding this incredible security failure, I will be participating in an oversight hearing of the FBI on Wednesday with the Judiciary Committee. The FBI is leading the investigation into the attempted assassination of President Trump, so as a sitting member of the committee, I plan to ask questions about the FBI’s situational and security awareness leading up to and during the Trump rally on July 13th.

I will continue to post updates on this investigation in my weekly newsletter. In the meantime, please call my office if you have questions or concerns.

Have a great week!

That's a wrap for this week's eNewsletter! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on my work for the 5th District of Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Scott Fitzgerald
Member of Congress