Fallout From Second Trump Assassination Attempt Felt On Capitol Hill

Two days after the U.S. Secret Service prevented a second attempt this summer to assassinate former President Donald Trump, Capitol Hill is buzzing with talk of whether the Secret Service needs more funding, and also with accusations of dangerously inflammatory rhetoric.

Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), in an interview Monday, said the Democrats’ criticisms of Donald Trump are so over-the-top that they are very possibly fueling these attempts on his life. It’s a claim Democrats absolutely reject, but which can now be heard at Trump-Vance rallies, like the one Tuesday in Sparta, Michigan.

"I think that it's time to say to the Democrats, to the media, to everybody that has been attacking this man and trying to censor this man for going on 10 years," said Trump's running mate JD Vance (R-OH), "cut it out, or you're gonna get somebody killed."

Republicans in Congress tend to agree. Senator Mullin says the Democrats repeatedly calling Trump a threat to democracy is dangerous. "At some point, the Democrats have to take responsibility for this."

Democrats counter by pointing to the misinformation Republicans are spreading about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, or the criticisms of Vice President Harris by President Trump himself. "She'll destroy our country just like she destroyed San Francisco, just like she destroyed California," Trump told the crowd at a recent campaign rally.

Either way, the rhetoric means the Secret Service has its hands full, trying to protect a sitting president, as well as two high-profile presidential candidates in a highly polarized political climate. "So, what I worry about," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters Tuesday, "is that we don't have enough personnel to deal with the threat levels that exist in this election and beyond. And I'd like to give them more resources, hire more agents to give those who are in the field a bit of a break."

It's not yet clear how Congress would provide the additional resources, whether it would be supplemental funding attached to the continuing resolution Congress needs to pass this month to avert a government shutdown or added funding in the FY 2025 appropriations package.

Certainly, not all members, especially on the GOP side of the aisle, are convinced that providing more money to USSS is the answer.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in an interview there's no question Secret Service manpower must be addressed, still-- "I'm not so sure it's a funding issue, but Congress will be willing to do what's necessary."