House unanimously votes to create Trump assassination attempt commission

Two FBI investigators scan the roof of AGR International Inc, the building adjacent to the Butler Fairgrounds, from which Matthew Thomas Crooks fired at former President Trump. (Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., has written a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas citing a whistleblower as saying that the Secret Service “repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally” in Pennsylvania where the Trump assassination attempt unfolded. 

Hawley told Mayorkas that the “new whistleblower allegations” further “call into question your department’s preparations.” 

“According to reports, the shooter used a drone to survey the site in preparation for his attack,” Hawley wrote. “This was confirmed by FBI Director Christopher Wray in his testimony just yesterday.” 

“This raises an obvious question: why wasn’t the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) not using its own drones?” he continued. 

“According to one whistleblower, the night before the rally, U.S. Secret Service repeatedly denied offers from a local law enforcement partner to utilize drone technology to secure the rally,” Hawley said. “This means that the technology was both available to USSS and able to be deployed to secure the site. Secret Service said no. The whistleblower further alleges that after the shooting took place, USSS changed course and asked the local partner to deploy the drone technology to surveil the site in the aftermath of the attack.” 

“It’s hard to understand why USSS would decline to use drones when they were offered, particularly given the fact USSS permitted the shooter to overfly the rally area with his own drone mere hours before event,” Hawley also said. 

Former President Trump's new book. (Courtesy)

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump is releasing his third official book since leaving office—a photo book filled with images to highlight the "great success" of the U.S. under his leadership, telling Fox News Digital that it represents the "power" that the country "will have again" if he is re-elected in November. 

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, detailed his new book, "SAVE AMERICA," in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Thursday.

The book offers a look at Trump’s first term, and "a vision for his next term," according to the description. Each photo in the new book has been selected by Trump, along with his words, which offer an insight into what will shape a possible second Trump administration.  

"This book represents the campaign that we’re in the midst of, which has been going really well," Trump said.

The cover features the iconic photo taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills, of Trump standing triumphantly in front of an American flag, just moments after the assassination attempt earlier this month at his rally in Butler, Pa. 

"Now, we’re running against a radical left lunatic," Trump said. "We beat Biden. That’s why he quit. He quit because of the debate. He quit because he got beaten. He was so far down in the polls that they threw him out." 

Sen. Josh Hawley has introduced the Trump Assassination Attempt Transparency Act to declassify government information about Trump's attempted assassination plot. Shown at right is shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Kevin Dietsch/Bethel Park School District)

FIRST ON FOX: As details slowly emerge about the assassination attempt against former President Trump, one Republican lawmaker is introducing a bill to force the federal government to declassify all information related to the event. 

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., will introduce the "Trump Assassination Attempt Transparency Act" on Thursday, just a day after FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judiciary Committee about the Trump rally shooting and investigation into gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.

"We need the truth about the assassination attempt against President Trump," Hawley told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We can't let the federal government hide behind the ‘classified’ label."

The bill would require the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI and the Secretary of Homeland Security to declassify any critical information about the assassination attempt and the motive of the shooter as well as Trump's repeated requests for resources. The legislation, if passed, would also require intelligence agencies to produce a report to Congress on its findings. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies in front of the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. (AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that someone affiliated with the agency is being internally investigated for posting something "totally inappropriate" about former President Trump's assassination attempt.

Wray's comments came while the agency's director was testifying under oath on Wednesday on the Trump rally shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the subsequent investigation into the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, asked the director whether "any FBI agents texted, emailed or expressed disappointment that Trump survived the assassination attempt or otherwise editorialized about the assassination attempt?"

Wray said he was not aware of any agents voicing inappropriate rhetoric, but there had been one instance "of an individual who posted something that I consider outrageous, totally inappropriate, and unacceptable."

The agency's director said the individual was referred to the FBI's inspection division for an internal investigation.

Drone footage taken by Fox News shows the vantage point Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks had when he opened fire on July 13 during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

The footage shows that Crooks was mostly concealed by trees when he started shooting at the former president. 

Crooks eventually was killed by a Secret Service countersniper who a source tells Fox News pulled off a “one in a million shot.” 

Fox News’ CB Cotton contributed to this report. 

Former President Trump reacts after being shot in Butler, Pennsylvania. (AP/Evan Vucci)

Former President Trump has announced a new book Thursday called "Save America" which features a cover image of him raising his fist after being shot during the July 13 rally in Pennsylvania. 

“In ‘SAVE AMERICA’, President Donald J. Trump offers an unparalleled look into his four years as the 45th President of the United States, and a vision for his next term! ‘SAVE AMERICA’ is filled with iconic moments from the first Trump Administration,” reads a description of the book.  

“From Historic Summits with World Leaders to candid scenes from the White House, every photo has been selected by President Trump, alongside his words, which provide insight into what will shape his next four years in office,” the description adds. 

President Biden speaks from the Oval Office on Wednesday night. (AP/Evan Vucci)

President Biden delivered an approximately 11-minute address to the nation from the Oval Office on Wednesday. 

While sitting behind the Resolute Desk, surrounded by portraits of American presidents, Biden spoke of his decision to discontinue his re-election campaign and laid out his plan for the remainder of his term. 

He also said "I'll keep calling out hate and extremism. Make it clear [that] there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence that ever. Period." 

Trump survived an assassination attempt on July 13 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, sending a unifying shock wave throughout the Republican Party, which formally named him their nominee the following week. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told ‘America’s Newsroom’ on Thursday following a vote to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the Trump assassination attempt that “the reason we created the task force is so that they can move quickly – speed and precision are really important here.” 

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified Monday that “when I have a full and complete, report of exactly what happened, there will be accountability and we will make changes” -- but then said a report on that won’t be complete until up to 60 days from now. 

“Sixty days is not soon enough,” Johnson said Thursday, adding that the Republicans and Democrats who will serve on the task force will be named later today. 

“They will work in earnest, there is a deadline of early December for their final report, but we expect and anticipate interim reports along the way,” Johnson said. 

Former Secret Service agent Bobby McDonald told ‘Fox & Friends’ on Thursday that "I think that the American people need some more answers and need them in a rather quick fashion” when it comes to the FBI’s investigation into the Trump rally shooting. 

“I’m sure they are moving along with the investigation, and I understand the need to keep that investigation with a high level of integrity, but we got a situation here – what 12 days out now – where there is a lot of information that is already out, a lot of eyewitnesses were there, a lot of cell phone video, a lot of people who saw exactly what was happening and a lot of witness statements,” McDonald said. 

“This is a serious situation now and as we keep getting these nuggets of information, we don’t need to be fingerpointing. We need the Secret Service to stand up and take responsibility for this, and then we need to continue the investigation to get the answers that we deserve, and the Secret Service needs to continue to reboot, reset what it is doing on a daily basis,” McDonald continued. 

“A lot of good work done by the men and women of the Secret Service every day, we weren’t very good on July 13. But we have to continue to go out and do what we are doing as we move into the home stretch of the election season,” he added. 

Former President Trump said Thursday to 'Fox & Friends' that the Secret Service are "such great people" but the assassination attempt against him that happened in Pennsylvania is "a blight on their reputation.

"There should have been somebody on the roof. When you look at it now, it's a clear shot," he said.

Former President Trump told 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday that the "biggest mistake they made is allowing me to go... they shouldn't have let me go on the stage" at the rally in Pennsylvania where he was shot at.

"Different groups of people knew there was some nutjob on the roof, and he was up there," Trump added, noting that there was one woman screaming "there's a guy with a gun on the roof."

"And that was, you know, quite a bit before I walked up to the stage. And then you had the local policeman who, it looks like he got up there and he saw the guy, and then he fell off the roof and what happened to him?" Trump continued. "Why didn't he start screaming there's a gun? So there are many people, but the communication was bad. "

Former President Trump, speaking to 'Fox & Friends' on Thursday about the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, said "some big mistakes were made."

Trump made the comment after he was asked for his thoughts on FBI Director Christopher Wray revealing Wednesday that shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks searched about the JFK assassination in the days leading up to Trump's July 13 event in Butler.

"My people were constantly complaining that they need more people and they would -- I mean I wasn't very much involved in it, that was up to them -- but they were constantly complaining that they're not given enough people," Trump said.

Trump, speaking about the Secret Service agents that rushed to protect him that day, called them "very brave."

"But they made a mistake in not having somebody on the roof. And the communications with local police was obviously horrible," he added.

Thomas Matthew Crooks fired from the roof of this building complex and wounded Trump on July 13 during an assassination attempt. (AP/Gene J. Puskar)

FBI Director Christopher Wray said that his agency is still not certain how Thomas Matthew Crooks accessed the roof of the building where he took aim at former President Donald Trump – but they don't believe he used a ladder.

Despite the fact that a "bloodied receipt" found on Crooks' dead body included a 5-foot ladder purchase, Wray told the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, his agency believes that "the subject climbed onto the roof using some mechanical equipment, on the ground and vertical piping on the side of the AGR building" on July 13.

"In other words, we do not believe he used a ladder to get up there," he said in Washington, D.C. 

"We did not find the ladder at the scene," Wray told Rep. Steve Cohen. "He did buy a ladder. But the ladder was not found at the scene."

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told ‘Your World’ following Christopher Wray’s testimony to the House Judiciary Committee that he believes the FBI director is “pretty embattled at the moment.” 

“I think that the FBI director is pretty embattled at the moment – you got the former president and current Republican nominee who had an assassination attempt. Secret Service [Director Kimberly Cheatle] has already resigned,” Roy said. 

“You got the FBI director covering up the fact that they got DEI watering down their standards. You got the FBI director trying to obfuscate the mental competency of the president. You got the FBI director basically acknowledging that they couldn’t stop this guy who was a 20-year-old lone shooter who shows up three times ahead of the event and has a drone flying overhead – why didn’t they have that place locked down?” Roy continued. “Why didn’t they have their own assets flying over it? What is the FBI actually doing?” 

Roy also said one thing he found “astounding” from Wray’s testimony on the Trump assassination attempt response is “we have this individual who shows up there three times ahead of the event, and then flies a drone 200 yards away – and he does that the afternoon of the event – and the Federal Bureau of Investigation can’t stop this shooter.” 

Trump rally shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks. (Handout via AFP)

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed on Wednesday that Thomas Matthew Crooks' family had more than a dozen firearms in their Pennsylvania home and that father Matthew Crooks legally sold his son the weapon that the 20-year-old would use in his assassination attempt on former President Trump.

"We located a number of firearms associated with the shooter and his family," Wray told the House Judiciary Committee. "I think it was a total of … 14 in the house."

"The weapon that he used for the attempted assassination was an AR-style rifle that was purchased legally," Wray said. "We believe, based on what we’ve seen, that his father, after purchasing the gun, legally sold the gun to his son." with a rifle onto a rooftop just outside the rally perimeter.

Acting U.S. Secret Service Director Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. will testify before three Senate committees next Tuesday on the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The hearing, which will also feature testimony from Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate, is titled "Examination of the Security Failures Leading to the Assassination Attempt on Former President Trump."

It is a joint hearing between the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Homeland Security Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

The testimony comes after days of hearings on Capitol Hill this week about the security lapses leading up to the July 13 shooting.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle testified on Monday before the House Oversight Committee, before resigning the following day, while FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to House lawmakers on Wednesday.

Fox News' Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

The House of Representatives unanimously voted to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

No lawmakers voted "no" nor "present," and 416 voted "yes." Ten Democrats and six Republicans did not vote.

The task force will be comprised of seven Republicans and six Democrats, with the members likely being announced this week.

House GOP leaders raced the bill to the floor after the deadly shooting at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally nearly two weeks ago. One attendee died, and two others were injured, with Trump himself getting shot in the ear and evacuated off the stage by the Secret Service.

The vote was bipartisan, as expected — the hours following the shooting prompted a flurry of bipartisan condemnations against political violence, as well as scrutiny of the security situation that allowed a 20-year-old gunman with a rifle onto a rooftop just outside the rally perimeter.