Joe Biden said that he has ordered an independent review on national security at Donald Trump‘s rally “to address exactly what happened” in the assassination attempt on the former president.
Much of the focus has been on how the shooter was able to gain access to rooftop vantage point, where he was able to aim at Trump and the rally inside a security perimeter.
Biden, speaking from the White House, also is planning an Oval Office address this evening.
The president said that he spoke last night with Trump, who was injured in the shooting, and he is “well and recovering.”
“We had a short but good conversation,” Biden said of his rival.
“Jill and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers,” Biden said. “We also extend our deepest condolences to the family of the victim who was killed. He was protecting his family from bullets that were being fired.”
Biden reiterated that “there is no place in America or this kind of violence or any violence for that matter. And an assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. It’s not America. We cannot allow this to happen. Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now.”
Biden was joined in making the statement by Vice President Kamala Harris and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Biden said that “we don’t yet have any information about the motive of the shooter. We know who he is. I urge everyone, everyone, please don’t make assumptions about his motive or his affiliations. Let the FBI do their job, and the partner agencies do their job.”
The president said that Trump, as presumptive nominee, already was receiving a heightened level of security, “and I’ve been consistent in my direction of Secret Service to provide him with every resource capability and protective measures necessary to ensure his continued safety.”
Biden also said that he had directed the head of the Secret Service to review all security measures for the Republican National Convention, scheduled to start on Monday.
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