House Speaker Mike Johnson called on both parties to “tone down the rhetoric” that could spark political violence like the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
“America is waking up to a pretty surreal morning. This is a horrific act of political violence that must be condemned in the strongest terms. Obviously, we cannot continue like this as a society,” Johnson said on NBC’s Today show.
He said he had been briefed by police and had spoken to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas the night before.
“I’ve already announced that Congress will conduct a full investigation into yesterday’s tragedy to determine where security lapses occurred and anything else the American people need and deserve to know. But in the meantime, we need to tone down the rhetoric. We need to lower the temperature in this country.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson called on both parties to “tone down the rhetoric” that could spark political violence like the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
“We need leaders of all parties, on both sides, to speak out and make sure that this happens so that we can move forward and maintain our free society.”
In the opening moments of his campaign speech, a bullet grazed Trump’s ear. A 20-year-old sniper fired eight rounds from an AR-type weapon from the roof of a nearby building before the assassin, identified as Thomas Crooks, was shot dead by law enforcement.
One attendee was fatally injured and two others are in critical condition.
“Joe Biden sent the orders,” wrote Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., on X.
He quoted a post with a transcript of Joe Biden saying on July 8 after the debate: “We’re done talking about the debate, time to put Trump on the spot.”
Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is led off the stage.
Biden and Trump spoke by phone Saturday night after the shooting. Biden said publicly that he is grateful that Trump is safe and denounced political violence.
“The Republican District Attorney of Butler County, Pennsylvania, should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting murder,” Collins wrote in a separate post.
Democrats accused Trump of inciting an insurrection on January 6, 2021.
Republicans in Congress have already launched investigations into what they describe as a “terrifying” security failure that allowed a gunman to get so close to Trump.
The suspect opened fire on the former president from a rooftop 130 meters from the stage where he was speaking to thousands of MAGA fans on Saturday night.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., told DailyMail.com in a statement that he plans to hold a hearing with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to get to the bottom of the failures.
The House Homeland Security Committee also released a statement indicating its desire to hold a hearing with the Secret Service.
The shooter has been identified as a 20-year-old registered Republican and local Butler-area resident who donated to Biden.
Her father, Matthew Crooks, 53, told CNN he was trying to figure out “what the hell was going on” but would “wait until he spoke to the police” before speaking out.
The shooter had no criminal record and police are still working to identify a motive.
Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie cast doubt on whether the FBI will ever solve the historic assassination attempt. No gunman has come this close to shooting a president since Ronald Reagan was shot in the stomach outside the Washington Hilton in 1981.
“The same agency that investigated the Las Vegas shooting and the January 6th pipe bombs is now investigating the attempted assassination of Trump. It’s also the same agency that raided Mar-a-Lago. I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of this soon,” Rep. Thomas Massie wrote on X.
Trump was left bloodied and injured during the assassination attempt and was seen suddenly clutching his ear as loud bangs could be heard whizzing past before he crouched to the ground.
The Secret Service surrounded the 45th President of the United States as heart-wrenching screams could be heard from the MAGA crowd.
He then stood up with blood running down his cheek and raised his fist in the air and defiantly shouted “fight!” while the audience chanted “USA!” as he was dragged off the stage and shoved into a vehicle.