Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas empaneled a committee Sunday to investigate the bungles that let a gunman come with a quarter inch of killing former President Donald Trump, giving the panel 45 days to report back on what happened.
Mr. Mayorkas said the panel will be bipartisan — he tapped for the panel two former Bush administration officials, a former Maryland State Police superintendent and his old boss, former Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
“We are committed to getting to the bottom of what happened on July 13, and I am grateful to the distinguished members of this independent review who will bring decades of expertise in law enforcement and security operations to this important investigation,” Mr. Mayorkas said.
“This independent review will examine what happened and provide actionable recommendations to ensure they carry out their no-fail mission most effectively and to prevent something like this from ever happening again,” he said.
A gunman managed to get to the roof of a building with line-of-sight to Mr. Trump, who was speaking at a campaign rally. The gunman fired several rounds, one of which grazed Mr. Trump’s ear. One rallygoer was killed and two were critically wounded.
Mr. Trump has had Secret Service protection since late 2015, when he was a candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
Mr. Mayorkas said Sunday that the Secret Service had enhanced Mr. Trump’s protection before the July 13 shooting.
But the Secret Service’s early explanations for why the rooftop was left undefended have not impressed lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who on Monday will start their own investigation with a hearing with the Secret Service director.
It’s not clear how their work will cooperate with — or conflict with — Mr. Mayorkas’ new panel.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said she’s “eager” to cooperate with Mr. Mayorkas’ review.
“I look forward to the panel examining what happened and providing recommendations to help ensure it will never happen again,” she said.
Ms. Cheatle said the new review joins ones by Congress, the Homeland Security inspector general and the FBI.
“The U.S. Secret Service has a no-fail mission, and I will take every necessary step to ensure the safety and security of our protectees — and that the U.S. Secret Service emerges from this stronger,” she said.
Mr. Mayorkas said the review will cover both Secret Service policies and the actions taken by agents and state and local authorities on July 13.
In addition to Ms. Napolitano, the other members of the panel are David Mitchell, former police chief in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and later state police superintendent and then head of Delaware’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security; former Bush White House Homeland Security adviser Frances Townsend; and Mark Filip, a former federal judge and deputy attorney general in the Bush administration.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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