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Join Telegram ChannelFIRST ON FOX: The bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Trump is expected to visit the site of the shooting later this month.
Task force Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., spoke to Fox News Digital a day after the panel formally launched its investigation into the deadly July 13 incident, where a 20-year-old gunman opened fire during Trump's speech in Butler, Pennsylvania, and killed a rallygoer.
Butler’s visit, which will take place the week of Aug. 26, will mark the first time the seven House Republicans and six Democrats named to the task force will meet in person to advance their investigation. Kelly said nearly all 13 lawmakers have been confirmed to participate.
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is seen with blood on his face surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is led off stage during a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images (Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images)
“There are other members who have never been there, and so we want them to see the actual physical assets that were there that day. We won't be able to see the exact crime scene because everything has been torn down and moved, but we will have enough personal time on the ground that people can look and say, 'That's the roof that the shooter was on,' and 'That's roughly where the podium was set up for the former president of the United States,'” Kelly explained.
He added that they would also meet with local officials while there, something Kelly himself has already done.
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Rep. Mike Kelly is the task force chair. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)
The longtime Pennsylvania Republican lawmaker represents the area where the shooting occurred and was at the rally with his family that day.
“I thought the president was dead,” Kelly said matter-of-factly, recalling the first horrific moments.
He also said it brought back memories of when he lived through the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963 — and Kelly promised Americans would see more transparency today than they did then.
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Law enforcement officers gather at the site of a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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“To this day, there are still people who don't really know what happened that day, and I don't want that to happen again. We're going to find an answer before the end of the year, and given the election calendar and everything else, we're still going to get the answers that the American people need,” he said.
Part of that work will also include public hearings when Congress resumes session after Labor Day weekend, Kelly said.