Fox News host Eric Shawn pushed back on Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) after he claimed that there could have been a "conspiracy" to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
During a Sunday interview on Fox News, Shawn asked Burchett for his theory on the security lapses that allowed the shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
"What's feeding it right now is the thought of a conspiracy," Burchett replied. "That's why I wanted to have the hearing on Monday and just say, forget the convention and let's get on with this."
"They had everything they needed to know in 48 hours or less," he continued. "I can guarantee you they know what the [shooter] had for breakfast that morning."
The Fox News host called out Burchett after he "casually just mentioned the word conspiracy."
"I mean, there's no evidence of a conspiracy, they say," Shawn noted. "They say that he's he's a lone 20 year old, that there's no any indication of any type of conspiracy at all."
"That's what they always say," Burchett scoffed. "They've said that on everyone until they don't say that."
"Look, how does a 20-year-old kid get up on a rooftop, carry a ladder, a half a mile, park with a high-powered rifle and 20 rounds of shells up on a roof, and nobody knows it?" he argued. "We'll never know for sure because the kid's dead. And why did they wash the roof?"
"If you saw the drone footage, they've — it's a crime scene. Why did they wash the roof? This thing stinks."
Burchett said he had a "tough" time believing there was not a conspiracy behind the shooting.
"Is it possible they washed the roof because they did process it correctly?" Shawn offered. "And in terms of the ladder, he didn't use a ladder, we're told, he climbed up on an air conditioning unit."
"The ladder was found miles away with the bag by a guy who drove. A former Secret Service agent is saying this is a matter of staffing," he added. "I mean, look, Congressman, they've got to protect candidates. They got to protect their families. They got to protect foreign dignitaries. Are they understaffed? And this is an issue that they had to rely on the local police."
The lawmaker said he didn't "buy" the official explanations.
"You got two people really in this race for president," Burchett observed. "And now they're going to — they'll run up and say we need more money. That's the Washington shuffle, brother."
"They allowed a 20-year-old punk get up on a roof and outsmarted the best security service in the world," he added.
