Days after former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally, the FBI is still trying to figure out what pushed a Pennsylvania man to try to kill the newly minted Republican nominee.
The shooting at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., on Saturday left Trump’s ear bloodied after a bullet whizzed by — just missing his head. It left attendee Corey Comperature dead, and two others wounded.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has been under fire for the events that allowed a gunman to get so close to Trump. Cheatle reportedly met with Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday to brief him on the attack.
The FBI and the Secret Service briefed Congressional lawmakers this week with additional details about the shooter and the events leading up to the assassination attempt. Here’s what we know:
Crooks had two cell phones, had searched for Trump rally and DNC dates, FBI says
Authorities have discovered that Crooks had two cell phones: one that was recovered at the scene, and another found at his home, which had 27 contacts in it. The FBI is trying to locate those contacts so they can interview those people, Fox News reported.
Investigators also found that Crooks' cell phone and other devices contained the following:
An image of a Michigan mass shooter whose parents were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case.
A screenshot of a livestream of the rally in Butler
Searches for images of Trump and President Biden
Search for dates of Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa.
Visited websites with information on how to make explosives
Search for dates of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago
Downloaded images of other political figures, like Trump's former personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought charges against Trump in the state's election subversion case. None of the images were accompanied by any threatening messages, law enforcement sources briefed on the Wednesday call told CNN.
Investigators also reportedly found 14 firearms, additional explosives, a bulletproof vest and a drone.
Authorities say that the phone search history didn’t indicate any particular political views held by Crooks, but FBI Director Christopher Wray cautioned in the briefing the investigation was still in its early stages.
Secret Service spotted the gunman 20 minutes before he opened fire
About an hour and two minutes before the shooting took place, Crooks was identified as a person of interest, according to law enforcement officials and Congressional members briefed by the FBI and Secret Service on Wednesday, ABC News reported.
Twenty minutes before the gunman fired shots, Crooks was spotted on the roof by Secret Service snipers who flagged him as suspicious, lawmakers who were on Wednesday’s briefing call said.
Trump took the stage to speak at his campaign rally at 6:02 p.m. on Saturday, then 10 minutes later, the gunman fired shots. It took about 26 seconds for Secret Service counter-snipers to neutralize the gunman after he fired his first shot, law enforcement officials said.
Lawmakers are now outraged with the Secret Service after learning that the former president was allowed to take the stage even after a potentially dangerous person was flagged by law enforcement.
Republican senators berated Cheatle at the RNC Wednesday night, demanding that the agency provide answers into its lapse in security at Saturday's rally, or that Cheatle resign.
The American people deserve answers from the Secret Service. pic.twitter.com/PNFF11v00Q
— Marsha Blackburn (@VoteMarsha) July 18, 2024
Multiple people briefed by the FBI Wednesday told CBS News that the Secret Service didn't stop Trump from taking the stage after they learned of a suspicious person because they only knew the flagged person had a rangefinder and not a weapon.
Steam gaming platform account believed to be fake
Earlier Thursday it was reported that an online account in Crooks' name on gaming platform Steam had posted a message foreshadowing the Trump rally shooting. The message, which read, "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds" is now believed to be fake, according tomultiple news outlets.
Hearings scheduled for next week
While several investigations are underway related to Trump's attempted assassination, there are at least three public House hearings scheduled on Capitol Hill next week. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee has subpoenaed the Secret Service director to testify on Monday. The Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday, and the FBI director is expected to testify before the Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, according to the New York Times.