By Smartencyclopedia & Agencies | July 14, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials announced on July 14 that they believe the would-be assassin of former President Donald Trump acted alone. The agency is investigating the attack as both an attempted assassination and an act of domestic terrorism, according to officials during a press call.
These new details come less than 24 hours after the United States witnessed its first major assassination attempt on a president or presidential candidate since President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
Authorities have identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a resident of Bethel, Pennsylvania. At a Trump rally in Butler on July 13, Crooks fired several shots from an elevated position near the venue. Witnesses saw a man with a rifle on the rooftop of a nearby building.
Former President Donald Trump’s right ear was grazed by one of the bullets before Secret Service agents rushed him to his car. Tragically, 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore, attending the rally, was killed. Two other rally attendees, identified by Pennsylvania State Police as David Dutch and James Copenhaver were injured but are now in stable condition. A GoFundMe campaign established by the Trump campaign for the victims and their families has raised over $3 million as of the evening of July 14.
FBI Investigation
The FBI has not yet identified a motive for the attack. Officials confirmed that the assailant’s family is cooperating with the investigation. Attorney General Merrick Garland called the assassination attempt on the former president “an attack on our democracy itself.”
“The Justice Department has no tolerance for such violence, and as Americans, we must have no tolerance for it,” Mr. Garland told reporters. “This must stop.”
During a sweep of Mr. Crooks’s car, FBI agents discovered a “suspicious device,” which bomb technicians later defused. FBI Director Chris Wray vowed that the agency would “leave no stone unturned” in its investigation.
“An attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate can only be described as absolutely despicable and will not be tolerated in this country,” Mr. Wray stated.
Earlier on Sunday, President Joe Biden expressed his desire for a “thorough and swift” investigation. Officials noted that before the attack, the perpetrator was not on the FBI’s radar as a potential threat. A preliminary screening of the shooter’s social media revealed no clear ideology or political beliefs that could have motivated the attack. The FBI has received over 2,000 tips so far.
Officials believe the rifle used in the attack was a semi-automatic weapon similar to an AR-15, legally purchased by the shooter’s father. It remains unclear how Mr. Crooks accessed the rifle or if his father was aware of its use.
“These are facts that we’ll flesh out as we conduct interviews,” said Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office.
Independent Review
President Biden has directed an independent review of the security present at the rally. Speaking from the White House, he condemned the assassination attempt as “contrary to everything we stand for as a nation.”
“It’s not who we are as a nation, it’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen,” President Biden emphasized. He also mentioned having a “short but good conversation” with former President Trump on Saturday evening.
Despite the attack, former President Trump is set to arrive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, as originally planned. He said in a social media post that he had considered delaying his travel but ultimately decided against it. Secret Service officials confirmed on July 14 that no changes have been made to security at the RNC, which starts on July 15, and noted that the event has already been given the highest-grade security.
“Currently, there are no known articulated threats against the RNC or anyone visiting the RNC,” Michael Hensel, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI for Wisconsin, said at a press conference.
The Secret Service has refuted claims that the 45th president’s security team requested additional security for the rally and was denied.
“This is false. We added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a Sunday post on X.
Former President Trump, in a statement on July 14, thanked his supporters, saying of the attack that it was “God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening.” He called for unity, emphasizing, “At this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united and show our true character as Americans.”
Former First Lady Melania Trump, in her statement, called on Americans to “ascend above the hate” and “simple-minded ideas that incite violence.”
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” Ms. Trump wrote, expressing gratitude to the Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their lives.
Congressional Response
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are vowing their investigations into the matter. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Congress will probe if there were security lapses at the rally.
“We need to know: how could an individual be at that elevation that was seen by apparently bystanders on the ground—how could that not be noticed by the Secret Service?” Mr. Johnson told NBC’s “Today” on July 14.
In a July 14 letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) revealed several pieces of information, including the security plan that was in place on the day of the shooting. The Secret Service falls under the DHS umbrella.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed receipt of the letter. “DHS responds to congressional inquiries directly via official channels, and the department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.