07.30.24

Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary, Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committees' Bipartisan Joint Oversight Hearing On Trump Assassination Attempt

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee, in partnership with the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, hearing entitled “Examination of the Security Failures Leading to the Assassination Attempt on Former President Trump.” The committees will hear testimony from U.S. Secret Service (USSS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally on July 13.

Key Quotes:

“We’ve all seen the movies [and] we’ve read the books. The international assassin with sophisticated technology [and] elaborate plans, sets out to kill a leading political figure in the United States. But how does that match the reality of what happened in Butler, Pennsylvania? When a 20-year-old introverted college student outsmarted one of the most sophisticated American law enforcement agencies in history? Came within an inch of killing a former President of the United States? That's why we gather today to ask these hard questions. There's more to this story and other aspects we ought to consider as well.” 

“We cannot lose sight of the factors that contributed to the violence on July 13: widespread, easy access to AR-15 military-style rifles. While we rely on the Secret Service to protect elected officials, we must acknowledge the unique challenges they face in light of the proliferation of weapons of war on our streets.”

“Pennsylvania, like many states, allows individuals to openly carry a loaded rifle without a permit. To make matters worse, assault rifles can easily be purchased from unlicensed dealers without a background check because of dangerous loopholes in our gun laws. This same kind of firearm has been used to carry out mass shootings in Newtown, Uvalde, Las Vegas, and Highland Park, Illinois, killing dozens of children and adults and injuring many more.”

“Looking across this dais, I recognize that we have our differences on many issues—but when it comes to the protection of the President and presidential candidates, we should stand united. We know that protecting our elected officials is essential to a functional democracy.”

“I hope this hearing can be an example of how we will work together on a bipartisan basis to not only understand this shocking event but to ensure it never happens again. We must do this without the incendiary language and conspiracy mongering that too often dominates our political discourse today.

“Ongoing investigations by the Secret Service and the FBI are critical, but Congress, the victims’ families, and the American people deserve transparency and accountability now.”

Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.

Durbin announced the bipartisan hearing with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rand Paul (R-KY), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

The hearing follows a joint briefing on Thursday, July 25 for the Committees with USSS and FBI, where the agencies assured Senators that they will do everything in their power to ensure proper coordination with local and state authorities and address all potential vulnerabilities at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, among other things. The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction and oversight authority over the United States Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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