Weeks before the attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH-3) co-sponsored a bill that would have stripped Trump of Secret Service security details.
The attempted assassination left the President wounded as a bullet grazed his ear, and a shot struck and killed a man behind him who was attending the rally with his family. Eventually, a secret service counter-sniper neutralized a shooter on the roof of a nearby building. 
Developing Story
Beatty’s co-sponsorship of the bill, the DISGRACED Former Protectees Act, came only weeks before the attempt on the former President’s life. The bill, and Beatty’s cosponsorship, leads to grave questions about the activities of officials in light of the assassination attempt.
Beatty took to Twitter hours after the shooting to condemn political violence, but her message is part of a longer history of dangerous rhetoric on the part of elected officials, media, and others, whose extreme remarks about the former President paint a different picture.
Earlier tweets from Beatty herself said Trump staged a coup, called Trump a threat to democracy, and characterized January 6 as a “terrorist attack.” Beatty’s remarks, and her cosponsorship of the bill, cast her response to the events of July 13 in harsh light.
My full statement on Capitol terrorist attack and call to remove Trump from office. pic.twitter.com/cDoLKQDrr4
— Rep. Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) January 7, 2021
With each hearing, the evidence of Trump’s attempted coup grows exponentially.
— Rep. Joyce Beatty (@RepBeatty) June 28, 2022
Cassidy Hutchinson showcased great bravery today by telling the world the truth. https://t.co/ZrADurTiUi
Fallout for Officials
As it stands, the assassination attempt represents a massive Secret Service failure, with security and counter-sniper experts saying malfeasance can’t be ruled out. The gravity of failure, leaving open questions beyond negligence, throws the bill removing the former President’s security in sharp relief.
Former Army Sniper and Congressman Cory Mills says of the Secret Service at the deadly Trump rally, "This was massive negligence to the point of me speculating what was intentional and what wasn't." pic.twitter.com/solrkgpKR4
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) July 15, 2024
The larger failure on the part of officials and media to reckon with dangerous and false rhetoric about political opponents, too, shows media and officials’ calls for civility hollow in the wake of the shooting.
With the country still grappling with an attempt on the life of the top political candidate for the nation’s highest office, questions about the bill, its purposes, and its sponsors remain.
Ohio.news is following the story. Stay tuned for updates.
