Ron Johnson: FBI, Secret Service ‘dragging’ on Trump assassination attempt investigation

By 
 August 26, 2024

The demand for answers following an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has yet to yield the kind of answers that can make the American people confident that the same kind of breach won't happen again.

A distinct lasck of accountability is also a concern for many, particularly in the face of growing division and unrest amongst conflicting parties involved in the 2024 presidential election.

To that end, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) spoke out, accusing the Secret Service and FBI of "basically dragging their feet” in their assigned task of offering up information to assist the investigation into the attempt, as The Washington Examiner reported.

The senator said during a recent interview that he is dissatisfied with the role law enforcement is taking in working with the upper chamber of Congress to get to the bottom of problems that led to the shooting.

The Investigation

A short time after the attempted assassination, the task force was established, and it has since sent letters to a number of law enforcement leaders, attempting to obtain the necessary information.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, Director Christopher Wray of the FBI, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr. of the Secret Service, were all sent requests for documents and briefings from their respective agencies regarding the shooting.

In spite of the fact that the Secret Service and the FBI are taking their time with the probe, Johnson, who is in charge of the Senate's investigation into the attempted assassination, was unable to provide much of an update.

Johnson's Comments

In his comments, Johnson said, "We’ve gotten some transcribed interviews, but the documents we request are heavily redacted,” on Fox News’s Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.

“They’re delivered the day of the interview, so we really can’t use the documents to conduct the interviews effectively, so we’re not getting squat from my standpoint from the Secret Service or the FBI.”

Due to the fact that "this is exactly how you do that," Johnson also suggested that both of these agencies are contributing to the building of suspicions and conspiracy theories over the manner in which they have assisted in this inquiry.

The fact that the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was identified as Trump's would-be assassin, was released for cremation before anyone had seen any autopsy findings is something that he adds is "jaw-dropping." Johnson went on to point out that "Again, it's just driving suspicion and conspiracy theories."

About the Body

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) has claimed that he attempted to visit Crooks's body on Aug. 5, but was told it was returned to the Crooks family ten days after the incident on July 23.

The FBI has confirmed that the body was released in accordance with standard procedures, in collaboration with the coroner's office, state, and local law enforcement partners.

Johnson further stated that these agencies do not believe they can be subjected to scrutiny by Congress and the public, something he seemed to have a serious issue with, according to the interview.

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