By Nandita Bose and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden said on Sunday he ordered a review of federal security surrounding Republican Donald Trump, his rival in the 2024 election, after Trump was wounded and a spectator was killed at a political rally in Pennsylvania.
The suspected shooter evaded Secret Service agents tasked with protecting Trump and climbed onto the roof of a building near where Trump was speaking and fired multiple shots before being killed by law enforcement agents.
Speaking at the White House, Biden said he had directed the Secret Service to review all security measures in place for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week where Trump will be formally nominated as the party’s presidential candidate to face Biden in the Nov. 5 election.
In addition, he said he had ordered “an independent review of the national security at yesterday’s rally to assess exactly what happened.” He said the results would be shared with the American people.
Biden said the FBI’s investigation into the incident was in its early stages and he has ordered it to be thorough and swift.
“I urge everyone, everyone please, don’t make assumptions about his motives or affiliations. Let the FBI do their job and their partner agencies do their job,” he said.
Republican lawmakers said they would investigate the Secret Service role as well, with some blaming the perceived agency lapses on Biden. Political violence has risen in the U.S. in recent years, with most of the deadly attacks coming from right-wing groups and individuals.
Biden, a Democrat, has been locked in a bitter campaign battle with former President Trump ahead of the Nov. 5 election, and said he would address the American people on Sunday night on the need for unity. His campaign quickly switched tactics after the shooting, pulling advertisements criticizing Trump.
“Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now – unity. We’ll debate and we’ll disagree. That’s not going to change. But we’re not going to lose sight of who we are as Americans,” he said.
Biden said he had a short but good conversation with Trump on Saturday night and that he is “sincerely grateful that he is doing well and recovering.”
“There is 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,” he said.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker)
