U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has announced the formation of a bipartisan, independent panel to review the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The panel will consist of individuals with extensive law enforcement and security experience and will conduct a 45-day independent review of the planning and actions taken by the U.S. Secret Service and state and local authorities before, during, and after the rally where the incident occurred.
The panel members include former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Frances Townsend, former Homeland Security adviser to President George W. Bush, Mark Filip, a former federal judge and deputy attorney general to President George W. Bush, and David Mitchell, former Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the state of Delaware. Additional experts may be added to the group in the coming days.
The review will focus on evaluating the policies and procedures of the Secret Service leading up to, during, and following the rally on July 13, during which a gunman fired at Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The panel aims to identify improvements that can be implemented by the U.S. Secret Service to enhance their operations and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Members of the independent review panel emphasized the importance of collaboration to prevent such events from occurring again. Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle expressed her support for the review process and her commitment to implementing any recommendations that may arise from the panel's findings.
Cheatle is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on Monday as part of the ongoing investigations into the assassination attempt. The U.S. Secret Service is actively reviewing its internal actions and remains dedicated to cooperating with other investigative bodies, including Congress, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
