FBI officials announced on Sunday that they are assessing the shooting of Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday as a potential domestic terrorism attack and assassination attempt. As federal investigators execute a flurry of warrants, they strive to determine a motive for the incident.
The 20-year-old suspected gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, is believed to have acted alone, with no evidence suggesting he was part of a larger group. However, his reasons for scaling the roof of a building overlooking the rally to shoot at Trump remain unclear.
By Sunday evening, dozens of federal investigators from the FBI, ATF, and all three US attorney’s offices in Pennsylvania were involved in the expanding investigation. They have seized several of Crooks’ devices and started to piece together some of his communications before the rally. The discovery of potential explosive devices in Crooks’ car has raised further questions, with former prosecutors suggesting that Crooks may have expected to survive the shooting.
The devices and the AR-15-style rifle, which officials confirmed was legally purchased, have been sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia. The ATF identified the owner of the gun through its national tracing center and business records from a gun dealer, providing the results to the FBI within 30 minutes.
The shooting at the campaign rally has significantly impacted the political landscape, particularly with Trump’s appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is set to formally accept the GOP nomination for president and unveil his running mate.
The incident has cast the 2024 presidential race into uncertainty. Both Trump and Joe Biden's campaigns pulled back on political functions over the weekend to address the immediate fallout. In Washington, Biden spoke with Trump in a brief and respectful call before receiving a briefing from top US officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
In brief remarks from the White House, Biden condemned the assassination attempt as "contrary to everything we stand for as a nation," emphasizing that it is not representative of American values. He demanded a national security review, which he promised to share publicly, and directed the US Secret Service to review security arrangements for the Republican convention.
Later, in a primetime address, Biden called for unity, stating that the shooting "calls on all of us to take a step back" and underscored that "politics must never be a killing field." Trump, meanwhile, gathered with senior advisers at his Bedminster club in New Jersey, maintaining his planned schedule as he prepared for the Republican convention. He announced his decision to proceed with his appearance in Milwaukee, stating that he would not allow a shooter or potential assassin to force changes to his schedule.
The assassination attempt has placed the Secret Service under intense scrutiny, with lawmakers from both parties initiating investigations into the security arrangements. They are calling for the agency’s director, Kimberly Cheatle, to account for the decisions made.
The key issue remains how a single man with a semi-automatic rifle managed to access a roof 140 yards away from the stage where Trump was speaking at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The House Homeland Security Committee has ordered the Secret Service’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, to produce documents and communications related to the security apparatus for the rally and to investigate whether any requests for additional resources had been rebuffed.
This ongoing investigation highlights the urgent need for enhanced security measures and greater vigilance in protecting public figures, particularly during high-stakes political events. As the nation grapples with the aftermath of this shocking incident, the focus remains on ensuring the safety and security of all involved in the democratic process.