Florida Sen. Rick Scott (R), one of former President Trump’s closest Senate allies, called on the Biden administration Wednesday to deliver daily briefings about its investigation into the shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., over the weekend.
“The security of our Republic is being questioned. The Biden administration can’t wait until the investigation is complete to release details. It needs to start today,” Scott said in a statement.
He said it is “imperative” for FBI Director Christopher Wray, U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to “hold a daily public press conference to share updates with the American people and answer questions about what happened, who is being held accountable and how we make sure it never happens again.”
He issued his statement shortly after Wray, Cheatle and other FBI and Secret Service officials briefed all senators Wednesday afternoon about their investigations.
Other Republican senators voiced deep dissatisfaction with the Secret Service’s failure to intercept the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, before he fired off several shots, grazing Trump, killing one rallygoer and leaving two others seriously injured.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called for Cheatle to be replaced as head of the Secret Service.
“Last week’s near-assassination of former President Trump was a grave attack on American democracy. The nation deserves answers and accountability. New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction,” he said in a statement posted on social media.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) called the briefing “unbelievably uninformative” and immediately submitted a list of follow-up questions to the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and FBI.
He asked Biden administration officials to describe the size of the security perimeter set at the Butler rally, the total number of FBI personnel involved in the security preparations for the rally, and the total number of state and law enforcement officers who worked on securing the site.
He also asked for a detailed list of countermeasure equipment deployed at the rally and a description of the screening procedures used.
Both Scott and Johnson are members of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.