FBI Director: Trump Shooter Researched a Chilling Detail About JFK Assassination
FBI Director Christopher Wray told a House Judiciary Oversight Committee on Wednesday that when Thomas Matthew Crooks learned there would be a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, he researched the Kennedy assassination.
Wray told committee members, "We've just, in the last couple days, we found from our review...analysis of a laptop that the investigation ties to the shooter, reveals that on July 6th, he did a 'Google search' for 'How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?'"
Newly released police video also showed what took place on the roof where Crooks' body was found moments after the attempted assassination.
An officer can be heard saying, "So this is the guy that (garbled) sent the pictures out. This is him."
Police bodycam video also shows officers and Secret Service agents approaching the body of Crooks.
His legs and rifle are visible in the video.
Crooks was on the building for about 3 minutes before firing eight times into the rally and then being killed.
Trump was shot in the ear, one rally attendee was killed and two others were wounded.
Committee members wanted to know from Wray how it could have happened.
Rep Dan Bishop (R-NC) asked, "Why was Crooks allowed to get off eight shots?" Wray answered, "Well, that is something we're still digging into."
Bishop then asked, "Why was President Trump not kept off the stage?" to which Wray answered, "We don't know the answer to that. But I want to be clear, this is important because I think it goes to questions I can and cannot answer. Our investigation is focused on the shooter and all things related to his attack."
Wray told the committee his agency faces the highest threat level he's seen in his career.
"We are in an elevated threat environment and we have been for some time," Wray said. "And that comes from a variety of quarters. It is quite frankly a dangerous time to be a prominent public figure."
Wray also told the committee that, so far, nothing suggests Crooks wanted to kill any other political figures; and that photos on his phone of President Biden were from news articles he had read. He said Crooks had not been on the FBI's radar before the shooting and that on the day of the rally, Crooks flew a drone near the rally site to scope out the venue.
Wray pledged that the FBI will "leave no stone unturned" to get to the bottom of the shooting.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have announced they're forming a bipartisan task force to also investigate the assassination attempt.
