A Missouri U.S. senator is calling for a congressional hearing following a third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump over the weekend.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley sent a letter urging the Senate Homeland Security Committee to review presidential protection and reform implementation.
The request follows a weekend attack at the White House Correspondents’ dinner. The justice department charged a gunman with attempted assassination.
Investigators say Cole Allen, 31, breached a security checkpoint with multiple weapons and fired at least once. Secret Service agents quickly subdued him, but at least one agent was injured in the response.
“Given these recent events, I believe it is necessary for the Committee to convene a hearing to assess the adequacy of presidential security arrangements and resources in the current threat environment,” Hawley wrote.
The committee historically plays a critical role in presidential security matters. The committee conducted a bipartisan investigation following the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. Members produced detailed reports documenting serious deficiencies, which included communications failures, technical issues and resource shortfalls.
“A hearing can review the degree to which post-Butler reforms have been implemented, the efficacy of interagency coordination and protocols, and the resource needs of all relevant agencies to sustain appropriate protection for the president and members of his Cabinet.”
Hawley says he believes a hearing can review the efficacy of interagency coordination and determine if post-Butler reforms were implemented.
“The American people deserve full transparency following yet another apparent assassination attempt of President Trump,” Hawley said.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, also weighed in on the attack, pointing to the shooter’s manifesto and the broader political climate.
“I think the Trump derangement syndrome has metastasized, and it is the central focal point of everything that the Democrats obsess on in this town,” Schmitt said on Fox News.
“It’s really bizarre, and when they use terms like ‘Nazi’ and ‘Gestapo’ and ‘Hitler’ and ‘existential threat to our democracy,’ they know exactly what they’re doing. But they can’t get away from it,” Schmitt said.
“If you read that manifesto from this guy, it sounds like what you would hear on a normal segment on MSNBC. It’s not like this is language that’s being used that you don’t hear on Morning Joe,” Schmitt said.
“They’ve got a problem, and it’s time they deal with it.”
