Trump Shooter Also Had President Joe Biden On His Radar, Looked Up Dates and Events

More information about the 20-year-old Pennsylvanian Thomas Matthew Crooks, who carried out a failed assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump, is coming to light. People magazine reported that disturbing material had been unearthed from Crooks' search history. According to investigating authorities the gunman also amassed information about President Joe Biden's forthcoming engagements on his phone. Following a probe of the gunman's phone and other electronic devices, it was discovered that he looked up pictures of Trump and Biden, along with the times and locations of their next public appearances. 

According to The NYTimes, the startling revelations came from the FBI and the head of the troubled Secret Service during private briefings with legislators. Crooks allegedly looked up the dates of the National Democratic Convention and searched the names of other notable government individuals, such as Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and FBI Director Christopher A. Wray. Since the shooting on Saturday, the FBI has been going through Crooks' belongings, which include two phones and at least one laptop, to look for information about his potential motive. 

The lone gunman also targeted searches for "major depressive disorder" on one of his smartphones, indicating that he was depressed, according to authorities. A federal law enforcement letter states that the gunman had been receiving parcels for many months, some of which were labeled as "hazardous material." Federal agents looked into his shipping history after finding three explosive devices associated with him. Two devices were discovered in his parked automobile close to the rally, and one was discovered at his house. Although Crooks' search history suggested he was generally interested in well-known political individuals, FBI agents remain perplexed by his non-strategic ideological or party tendency. 

As per the federal authorities, the absence of “any political or ideological information” at the gunman's house was “notable”, Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, urged the public release of the same information that federal law enforcement agencies had provided to legislators. “The Biden administration has got to start being open with Americans about what happened, who is being held accountable, and how we make sure it never happens again,” he said. 

As per CBS, an additional puzzling fact regarding Crooks that has confounded the federal authorities is that the young registered Republican had previously made a $15 ActBlue donation to a Democratic organization. Thus, showcasing the discrepancy in Crooks' political stance, the then 17-year-old donated to the Progressive Turnout Project on January 20, 2021, the day President Biden took office. At the time, he was not allowed to register as a Republican or cast a ballot in the 2020 election.

According to an email from the organization, Crooks unsubscribed from the group's email list two years ago, and the gift was made in response to an email asking recipients if they intended to watch Biden's inauguration. At present, the FBI claims that it is still unclear what motivated Crooks to carry out the assassination attempt on Trump and what his political views were. Public records indicate that his parents are registered as Democrat and Libertarian respectively.