Pennsylvania Lawmaker Defends Local Law Enforcement Amid Criticism Over Trump Assassination Attempt

Pennsylvania State Rep. Aaron Bernstine condemns national media for blaming local authorities for the security lapse that allowed an assassination attempt on former President Trump, instead laying the blame at the feet of the Secret Service.

Pennsylvania State Rep. Aaron Bernstine has come to the defense of local law enforcement in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Trump, criticizing the national media for unfairly blaming local agencies for security breakdowns.

Bernstine, a Republican representing Butler and Lawrence counties, argued that the media has wrongly targeted Butler County and other local authorities, while the real responsibility for the security lapse lies with the U.S. Secret Service.

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Defends Local Law Enforcement Amid Criticism Over Trump Assassination Attempt

"Our first responders in this situation have been thrown under the bus by those in the national media," Bernstine told Fox News Digital. "That is entirely inappropriate. These individuals did everything that they should have done and took every precaution. This is a complete failure from a tactical standpoint, to a communication standpoint, by the United States Secret Service."

Bernstine's district includes the Butler Farm Show grounds, where the assassination attempt took place on July 13. He said that since the shooting, his office has been inundated with constituent concerns as the press, federal agencies, lawmakers, and others have descended on northwest Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Defends Local Law Enforcement Amid Criticism Over Trump Assassination Attempt

Despite the media scrutiny, Bernstine expressed pride in his constituents and their support for local law enforcement. "We have great people here. (It is) a great conservative area. I couldn't be more proud to represent these folks," he said.

"What transpired had nothing to do with our local law enforcement. Our local law enforcement did every single thing that was asked of them. We're so proud of the work that they did. This was a complete security fail by the United States Secret Service."

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Defends Local Law Enforcement Amid Criticism Over Trump Assassination Attempt

Bernstine initially planned to hold hearings in the state legislature to investigate the incident, but changed his mind after Congressman Mike Kelly and Speaker Mike Johnson announced a congressional task force to investigate the matter.

"Congressman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are going to do everything they can to uncover what transpired and make sure it never happens again," Bernstine said. "Our original plans when this horrible situation occurred were to have hearings, where we would bring people in front of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. My position on that has changed."

Pennsylvania Lawmaker Defends Local Law Enforcement Amid Criticism Over Trump Assassination Attempt

Kelly, who represents Butler and Erie, led a bipartisan congressional tour of the rally site and is now heading the House task force. Bernstine said that he and other state lawmakers believe that the federal investigation is sufficient, but they stand ready to assist if needed.

"We're going to have a huge rally that is beyond secure for President Trump."

Bernstine also paid tribute to Corey Comperatore, the Butler-area firefighter who was murdered by attempted assassin Thomas Crooks. "He was one of our neighbors who gave so much to the community," Bernstine said.

"This has obviously been a major burden on our community and something that has really been a major burden across this entire nation. And that's why I have done everything in my power to — No. 1 — help our community. But, in addition to that, [we must] be supportive of the work that's being done in Congress to understand what happened, why it happened, who was involved and what are the things that we can do to ensure this never happens again."