House Democrats Push Back Against GOP Criticism of Goldman's Potential Role in Trump Assassination Investigation

Rep. Dan Goldman, a prominent critic of former President Trump, is being considered for a role on the bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump. Republicans have criticized the move, citing Goldman's previous statement that Trump "has to be eliminated." Democrats are defending Goldman, stating that he has apologized for the remark and is committed to ensuring accountability.

The office of Rep. Dan Goldman, a House Democrat who played a prominent role in former President Trump's first impeachment, is pushing back against GOP-fueled criticism that he should not be on the task force investigating the attempted assassination of the former president.

House Democrats Push Back Against GOP Criticism of Goldman's Potential Role in Trump Assassination Investigation

Goldman, who came under fire last year for saying that Trump "has to be eliminated," is among the Democrats being considered for a place on the bipartisan commission to study the July 13 shooting at Trump's Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

"As someone with a lifelong commitment to democracy and the rule of law, Congressman Goldman immediately clarified a misstatement from last November to emphasize his strong condemnation of all political violence. The Congressman demonstrated with pointed questioning during congressional hearings last week that the Secret Service must be held accountable for its unacceptable security lapse, and he is determined to ensure such a failure never happens again," Goldman's spokesperson Madison Andrus told Fox News Digital.

House Democrats Push Back Against GOP Criticism of Goldman's Potential Role in Trump Assassination Investigation

Republicans have criticized Goldman's potential inclusion on the task force, citing his previous statement about Trump. Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, "Democrats are trying to put Dan Goldman on the committee to investigate the assassination attempt. Just weeks ago he called for DJT to be ‘eliminated.’ Probably not the best person to have on this task force."

Goldman apologized for his previous statement, saying, "Yesterday on TV, I mistakenly used the wrong word to express the importance for America that Donald Trump doesn’t become President again. While he must be defeated, I certainly wish no harm to him and do not condone political violence. I apologize for the poor choice of words."

House Democrats Push Back Against GOP Criticism of Goldman's Potential Role in Trump Assassination Investigation

The House voted to establish the commission in a unanimous 416-0 vote last week. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said the panel will have seven Republicans and six Democrats, chosen by himself and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., respectively.

As of Friday morning, Jeffries’ office told Fox News Digital that no final decisions had been made. However, a second source who spoke with Fox News Digital said that another possible contender for the task force is Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., who served as State’s Attorney for Prince George's County for nearly a decade from 2003 until 2011, before coming to Congress in 2023.

House Democrats Push Back Against GOP Criticism of Goldman's Potential Role in Trump Assassination Investigation

On the GOP side, a senior Republican lawmaker told Fox News Digital that "it seems like half our members want to be on the task force." A third source who spoke with Fox News Digital said that Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., was in strong consideration to play a prominent role on the panel. Kelly, whose district the shooting took place in, was present when the shooting occurred.

Kelly was also the leader of the resolution establishing the task force that passed the House this week. The commission is expected to begin its work in the coming weeks.