Who is on the task force and how it could make a difference
At least four official government agencies — including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Secret Service — have been tasked with investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a campaign event July 13 at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
Among those investigating is a 13-member task force established by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, which will be chaired by U.S. representative and Butler native Mike Kelly, R.-16th.
Kelly, who was at the rally along with several family members, sponsored the resolution to create the task force, which went before the House on July 24. The resolution passed by a 416-0 vote.
The task force is made up of seven Republicans and six Democrats who represent all regions of the country, from coast to coast. Most of the members, other than Kelly, have experience in the U.S. military or in law, and serve on various House committees, such as Homeland Security, Oversight and Intelligence.
The task force has set a deadline of Dec. 13 to submit a final report on its findings.
Kelly says his life-changing personal experience at the rally won’t hinder him. In fact, he believes it will be a benefit.
“I think we always look for eyewitness experience,” Kelly said. “I know for a lot of people, in their mind, they’ve already run up this flag, and they know what happened, and this is based on their efforts to find out what happened. But there's nothing better than people that were actually there.”
According to Kelly, Johnson was mainly responsible for the final selection of members for the task force. However, Kelly said he offered some advice on the type of people who should be selected.
“The only conversation I had with him prior to him actually announcing the task force was saying to him, ‘When we put this together, you really need to have people who are not looking to be in the spotlight, but are looking to get the answers.”
Kelly vouches for the capabilities of all 12 of his fellow task force members, Republicans and Democrats alike.
“I've talked to them all. We're on the same page,” Kelly said. “They have great backgrounds. Their resumes are very, very impressive. They are not the stars that you see on TV every night, but they are serious legislators and they are really dedicated members of Congress.”
A key difference between this bipartisan task force and the other agencies investigating the assassination attempt is that the task force has been empowered by the House to issue subpoenas whenever necessary. This eliminates a potential stumbling block to gathering testimony and evidence.
However, Kelly does not expect the task force to have to wield this power very often.
“I think the subpoena gives us the power for some people that may be reluctant or say, ‘I don't want to be part of this,’” Kelly said. “I don't expect people to hide and run from this. But I think it's important to know that we do have the ability to call people forward with the subpoena.”
While the original resolution calling for the creation of the task force called for “no more than 11” members, the final number of members eventually settled at 13 because — according to Kelly — so many lawmakers wanted to be a part of it.
“We had put in 11 because we thought that 6-5 would be good,” Kelly said. “We came back with 7-6, and I’m fine with that.”
As of the start of August, the task force members are scattered across the country and meeting virtually, as Congress is currently in recess.
“The task that I have is trying to gather us together for conference calls,” Kelly said.
Rep. Mike Kelly (PA-16) will serve as chairman of the 13-member task force. Kelly was present at the rally along with his wife, Victoria, and other family members.
Rep. Mark Green (TN-07) currently serves as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. Prior to entering politics, Green spent 20 years in the United States Army as both an officer and a flight surgeon, serving tours of duty in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Rep. David Joyce (OH-14) is on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and once served as the chair of that subcommittee. Prior to entering politics in 2012, Joyce spent nearly three decades in the legal profession, including a 24-year tenure as county prosecutor in Geauga County, Ohio.
Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15) currently serves on the Homeland Security and Judiciary Committees. Prior to entering politics in 2019 as Florida’s Secretary of State, Lee had a nearly two-decade-long career in the legal profession, including stints as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Florida and a judge in the Hillsborough County Circuit Court.
Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-06) currently serves on the Intelligence, Armed Services, and Oversight committees. Prior to entering politics in 2018, Waltz served in both the U.S. Army and the National Guard, seeing active combat in Afghanistan, and is a former Green Beret.
Rep. Clay Higgins (LA-03) currently serves on the Homeland Security and Oversight committees. Prior to entering politics in 2016, Higgins worked in departments across the state of Louisiana as a police officer, and before that, he served for six years in the Military Police Corps of the Louisiana National Guard.
Rep. Pat Fallon (TX-04) currently serves on the Oversight and Armed Services committees, as well as the Tactical Air and Land Forces and National Security subcommittees. Prior to entering politics in 2013, Fallon served in the U.S. Air Force in the early 1990s, and was also a member of the national championship-winning Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team in 1988.
Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06) will be the leading Democratic member of the task force. Crow is currently a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as the latter’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability. Prior to entering politics in 2017, Crow served as an Army Ranger in both Iraq and Afghanistan, having signed up for active duty shortly after the 9/11 attacks.
Rep. Lou Correa (CA-46) is deeply entwined with national security matters in his various roles in Congress. He is currently a senior member of the House Judiciary and the House Homeland Security committees, where he sits on the Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement & Intelligence subcommittee.
Rep. Madeleine Dean (PA-04) currently serves on the House Judiciary and House Foreign Affairs Committees. Prior to entering the House in 2018, Dean practiced law at her own three-person law firm before serving as an assistant professor at La Salle University in Philadelphia for 10 years. In 2012, she began a six-year stint in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, succeeding future Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in his old seat.
Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) is one of two Philadelphia representatives serving on the task force. She currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Prior to entering the House in 2018, Houlahan spent three years on active duty in the U.S. Air Force working mainly as a project manager.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (MD-04) currently serves on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Ethics Committees. Prior to entering the House in 2023, Ivey served as State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Md. from 2003 to 2011, and was present during the aftermath of the D.C. sniper attacks in 2002. Between political offices, Ivey taught at Harvard and the University of Maryland.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) currently serves on the House Oversight and Accountability and Foreign Affairs committees. Prior to entering the House in 2023, Moskowitz served an eight-year term in the Florida House of Representatives. Moskowitz also served as the state’s Director of Emergency Management from 2019 to 2021, where he oversaw the start of Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
