US President Joe Biden said Sunday that he had ordered an ongoing federal law enforcement investigation into the attempted assassination of ex-President Donald Trump “be thorough and swift.”
Addressing the nation from the White House, Biden said he spoke by phone with Trump Saturday evening during a “short but good conversation,” adding that he is “sincerely grateful that he’s doing well and recovering.”
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence, or any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation, everything, it’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not American, and we cannot allow this to happen,” he said. “Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important that that right now.”
Law enforcement has identified the attempted assassin as Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man.
Crooks was fatally shot by a Secret Service agent after he opened fire from what the agency said was an elevated position outside of the Butler, Pennsylvania field where Trump was addressing his supporters ahead of November’s national election. Authorities have yet to determine a motive for the shooting.
Biden said he instructed officials to ensure the ongoing probe into Saturday’s shooting is “thorough and swift,” and that investigators “have every resource they need to get this done.” He further directed the Secret Service – the security detail for presidents, current and former – to provide Trump “with every resource capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety,” and review security protocols for this week’s Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be officially named as the party’s presidential nominee.
The president said he also directed an investigation into the security efforts at Saturday’s rally “to assess exactly what happened.” The results of that probe will be shared publicly, Biden said.
Saturday’s shooting lightly injured the former president, killed one spectator, and critically wounded two others. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro identified the deceased rally attendee as Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief.
Shapiro said Comperatore “died a hero,” as he was killed while diving to protect his family from the gunfire.
The president is expected to address the nation again Sunday evening.
