GOP candidate floats theory Secret Service was "in on" Trump shooting
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Republican congressional candidate Joe Kent at a campaign event on Oct. 5, 2022 in Morton, Washington. Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images.
Republican House candidate Joe Kent suggested during a virtual town hall that Secret Service agents may have been "in on" the assassination attempt against former President Trump.
Why it matters: Kent, a right-wing U.S. Army veteran known for his embrace of conspiracy theories, is running a well-funded campaign in a key battleground district in Washington state that is a top target for Republicans.
What he's saying: During a virtual town hall on Monday hosted by the Conservative Ladies of Washington, Kent argued for Congress to adopt an aggressive posture with the Secret Service and other federal law enforcement agencies as it investigates the shooting.
- Kent said the agencies have been "evasive," adding: "I don't think it's unreasonable to say it seems like there's some degree of a plot to kill President Trump that was noticed by people in the Secret Service, and they either let it happen or some of them were in on it."
- He continued: "There's no other way to look at it until they prove us wrong. And maybe they will. Maybe that's what the investigation will get to the bottom of. It just needs to be investigated."
Zoom in: "We respect the important role of oversight and are committed to better understanding what happened before, during, and after the assassination attempt ... to ensure that never happens again," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
- "That includes complete cooperation with Congress, the FBI and other relevant investigations."
The other side: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.), who co-sponsored legislation to create a bipartisan task force to investigate the shooting, said in a statement that Kent "wants to turn a tragedy" into a political opportunity.
- "To him anything in the news is one big conspiracy theory, with the deep state pulling the strings," she said.
- "What we actually need to do is get the facts about what went wrong, which is why I cosponsored the bill this week creating a task force to investigate the assassination attempt against former President Trump."
- Kent's campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment in the evening.
The task force legislation passed the House unanimously on Wednesday.
- The body will have subpoena power and be composed of seven Republicans and six Democrats.
Zoom out: Other Republicans have suggested a mysterious enemy, often referred to simply as "they," was behind the shooting, Axios' Stef Kight reported.
- So far, no evidence has come to light that the 20-year-old shooter had accomplices or a clear political motive.
State of play: Kent lost to Perez in 2022 after successfully primarying Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) from the right for voting to impeach Trump.
- He is running again for the seat this year with support from the Washington state GOP, but faces a credible rival in local legislator Leslie Lewallen, who has support from some state and local GOP figures.
- Under Washington's election system, candidates in all parties run in an Aug. 6 free-for-all primary in which the top two finishers advance to the general election in November.
Go deeper: What Secret Service and FBI told Congress about attempted Trump assassination
