House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (Republican of Texas) announced Sunday that Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, planned to escape the incident by creating a “diversion” using explosives found in his vehicle.
Shortly after the shooting, authorities found the explosives in his vehicle and a remote detonator on him after he was shot by Secret Service snipers. McCaul discussed the shooter’s plan during a interview.
While the FBI still does not know Crooks’ motive, McCaul – the former chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee – provided up-to-date details about Crooks’ plans before the assassination.
“What’s interesting, Robert, is that he had an explosive device on him and two bombs in his car,” McCaul told anchor Robert Costa on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “His plan was to assassinate the president, create a diversion by blowing up his vehicle on the other side of the property, and then he was able to escape.”
McCaul visited the scene where the gunman fired the shot that hit Trump’s ear and killed a rally attendee. He said he was “glad that Director Cheatle did the right thing and resigned” and said it would be “a failure” if an assassination attempt occurred.
The House of Representatives voted last Wednesday to establish a bipartisan task force to investigate the shooting. The group is expected to release its findings by the end of the year and will include seven Republicans and six Democrats.
So far, authorities have not been able to determine why Crooks fired the shots. Investigators have also not been able to determine any political affiliation that could shed lightweight on his motive.
The shooter was described as an “outsider” who was often bullied in high school. Jason Kohler, who attended the same high school as the suspected shooter, told a reporter what he remembered:
And you know how kids are these days. When they see someone like that, they target them because they think they’re humorous or something. That’s the best way I can describe it. And honestly, it’s pretty melancholy. I don’t want to say that’s what provoked it, but you never know…
Yeah. I would say he was more of a loner because he was just… He was still, but he was just bullied. He was bullied so much. So much.
According to NBC Washington, Thomas Matthew Crooks was frequently bullied in high school for things like wearing a mask.
This is my former classmate Jason Kohler. Everything about his behavior and the way he speaks I find bizarre and repulsive, what do you think? pic.twitter.com/mpIZ9UvD98
— L (@SomeBitchIIKnow) July 14, 2024
In the days leading up to the shooting, Crooks went to a hardware store to buy a ladder. He also spent some time at his local gun range and later purchased 50 rounds of ammunition. He went to the scene of the rally before the event began and used a drone to scout the location.
Hopefully the task force will uncover much more information about the reasons for the Secret Service’s failure and the shooter’s motive.
