FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies about Trump rally assassination attempt

Top Dem who visited Butler says local officials told him 'we need to talk' more about Secret Service

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A top House Democrat who took part in a bipartisan walk-through of the Butler Farm Show grounds in Pennsylvania, where former President Trump was nearly assassinated, said law enforcement rank-and-file seem apprehensive to speak publicly about "who’s in charge."

Rep. Lou Correa, D-Calif., said officers who serve are "great people" and that breakdowns that led to the fatal event earlier this month prove interagency clarity in cooperation is badly lacking.

Correa praised Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) Commissioner Col. Christopher Paris for being forthright during Tuesday’s House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Trump rally shooting. He added that local officials and law enforcement in the Butler area he met with Monday were equally admirable.

Correa said local agency members approached him during a private congressional walk-through and told him they needed to talk some more about what they saw on the ground.

"A couple of folks there kind of hinted to me that everybody locally is not comfortable going out and giving their opinion," he said. "But one individual said he’s not quite sure who was in charge.

"There was a local supervisor or council member who said that we need to talk some more. You guys (Congress) need to hear more about what happened and what didn't happen. They weren't here [in Washington]. We need to get their opinions and thoughts. Those are the people that were where the rubber meets the road, so to speak," he said.

Correa added that, comparatively speaking, the Secret Service is a small operation of around 3,600 agents, while Paris said the PSP employs about 6,000.

"The local police and state troopers really are force multipliers, and, in this case, there are some things you need to work on to fix the process," Correa said.

He said after the House hearing with Paris and his trip to Northwest Pennsylvania the best thing to do is go "back to the drawing board and really start kicking the tires in terms of guidance and Secret Service and what they do and how they address and work with local public safety agencies."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Charles Creitz