FBI Director Christopher Wray disclosed several new details about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a Wednesday hearing before the House Judiciary Committee. Among the details revealed was that the would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, conducted extensive research on the Oswald-Kennedy assassination before his attempt on Trump’s life.
The assassination attempt occurred during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Crooks managed to position himself on a rooftop outside the rally and fired into the crowd, wounding Trump and killing former fire chief Corey Comperatore. Two others were critically injured before a Secret Service counter-sniper neutralized Crooks.
A search of Crooks’s laptop revealed that he began researching the Trump rally roughly one week before the event. His browsing history indicated he was reading news articles about various public figures, though Wray stated there was no clear pattern to these readings. The FBI has not uncovered any manifesto or other evidence explaining why Crooks targeted Trump.
On July 6, Crooks searched “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy,” referencing the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald, who fired from a sixth-floor window in the Texas School Book Depository. Kennedy was approximately 180 feet away when Oswald fired, according to the Warren Commission. Crooks was roughly 450 feet away when he fired eight rounds in Trump’s direction, one of which struck the former president in the ear.
Wray testified that the FBI is still investigating why Trump was not prevented from taking the stage after law enforcement became aware of Crooks’s presence. The FBI found no evidence that Crooks had co-conspirators and considers him a “loner” based on interviews and his limited contacts.
The FBI is leading the investigation into the security failures at the rally, working with federal, state, and local partners. Crooks was identified as the shooter hours after the attack, and the investigation was promptly initiated. Wray emphasized that the FBI has been “unusually” transparent about the details of the ongoing investigation, which continues to evolve.
The FBI recovered eight casings from the rooftop but is still determining how Crooks managed to fire those shots. Crooks had two explosives in his car and one at his residence, but the FBI believes he could not have detonated them from the rooftop. FBI technicians are analyzing the explosives.
Two hours before the shooting, Crooks flew a drone over an area approximately 200 yards from the stage. The FBI believes he was live-streaming drone footage to get a view of the stage. Crooks visited the premises three times: a 20-minute visit a week before the rally, a 70-minute visit the morning of the rally, and his final return in the afternoon.
Crooks used an “AR-style” rifle purchased legally from his father, who bought it from a gun store. The rifle had a collapsible stock, possibly allowing Crooks to conceal it upon entering the rally area. How Crooks accessed the rooftop remains unclear, though the FBI discovered he purchased a five-foot ladder, which was not found at the scene.
Prior to the shooting, Crooks was not on the FBI’s radar, and Wray stated no FBI informants or agents were at the rally. Wray described the FBI’s “complex threat environment” and acknowledged the public’s interest in understanding the events at the rally.
Disgraced former Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle testified Monday, deferring to the FBI’s investigation and failing to explain significant security lapses. Cheatle’s inadequate responses and lack of detail led to bipartisan calls for her resignation, which she submitted on Tuesday.
In contrast, Wray provided detailed answers about Crooks’s activities, maintaining caution due to the ongoing investigation. The FBI continues to scrutinize the incident, focusing on understanding Crooks’s preparations, motives, and the broader implications for security at high-profile events.