Congresswoman Madeleine Dean Wants to Add Second Trump Assassination Attempt to Butler Investigation

U.S. Congresswoman Madeleine Dean said Monday she wants a congressional committee already investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler County to investigate Sunday’s attack at his Florida golf club.

“Obviously we’re dealing with the same, very related sets of issues, so bringing the two together, I think, makes sense and makes it all the more urgent to continue our work,” said Dean, a Democrat who represents Montgomery County and serves on the select committee.

She said she would leave the decision on whether to seek legislation to allow the task force to investigate the Florida incident to the commission’s leadership.

The committee chairman, Rep. Mike Kelly (R., Erie), did not respond. in response to a question from The Inquirer, but said in a statement on Sunday that the task force requested information.

Sunday’s potential killer, Ryan Wesley Routh, On Monday, he was charged with federal firearms offenses. Secret Service agents opened fire when they saw him with a firearm near Trump playing golf on Sunday.

It was the second assassination attempt on the former president in less than three months. Dean called it shocking and thought-provoking.

She added that this underlines the need for a collective opposition to political violence.

“The Secret Service needs more resources, we can see that already in our investigation, even without reaching a conclusion,” Dean said. “We can say they are overtaxed, they are overextended and we need to do more.”

Dean is one of three Pennsylvanians serving on a task force investigating the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler County.

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Chester), another member of the committee, noted the committee’s request for information on the attempted bombing in Florida.

“I expect to hear more from our leadership soon about whether we will expand the scope of our current investigation,” Houlahan said in a statement.