Thomas Matthew Crooks - Trump attempted to google Kennedy assassination and sent a drone over the scene
Thomas Matthew Crooks, who opened fire at a campaign event of the former US President Donald Trump approximately two weeks ago, searched for details about the JFK assassination murder suspect Lee Harvey Oswald on the Internet before the act, according to the FBI. The analysis of Crooks' laptop revealed that he wanted to find out how far Oswald was from Kennedy when he shot him in 1963. FBI Director Christopher Wray testified about the Trump assassination attempt before the House Judiciary Committee.
Crooks reportedly searched the internet for this information on July 6th, Wray added. This was the day he registered for the Trump rally in the city of Butler in Pennsylvania. "On July 6th, he made a Google search for 'how far was Oswald from Kennedy'," Wray stated.
FBI: Crooks flew a drone
Furthermore, Crooks had launched a drone about 180 meters from the stage just a few hours before Trump appeared, according to the FBI Chief. The drone was in the air for around eleven minutes and was later found in Crooks' car, according to CNN.
At the attempted assassination, a bystander was killed, and two others were severely injured. Trump was injured in the ear. The assailant was killed by security personnel.
Secret Service Chief resigns
In the past few days, there have been harsh criticisms of the Secret Service's handling of the situation, as Crooks managed to get onto a roof with a direct view of the stage despite all security measures. On Tuesday, Secret Service Chief Kimberly Cheatle resigned (the star reported). Cheatle admitted during a hearing before a US Congress committee on Monday that her agency, responsible for protecting current and former presidents, had "failed" in the Trump assassination attempt.
She took full responsibility for any security gaps as head of the agency.
US Congress forms investigative committee
Meanwhile, the US House of Representatives has voted to establish a bipartisan committee to investigate the assassination attempt. The decision for a corresponding resolution was unanimous, according to US media. The goal is to "understand what went wrong on the day of the assassination attempt" and "to prevent such a bureaucratic failure from ever happening again," Republican Chairman Mike Johnson and Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had previously announced.
The taskforce is expected to submit a final report on their findings by December 13th and also make recommendations for potential legislative changes to prevent future security gaps. The appointments for the committee will be announced on this Thursday, Johnson told CNN. The working group will consist of seven Republicans and six Democrats, it was reported. They will be granted the authority to issue subpoenas.
The FBI has revealed that before the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the assailant, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had searched the internet for information about Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspect in the JFK assassination. This online search occurred on the same day as Crooks registered for the Trump rally in Pennsylvania.
In response to the assassination attempt, the US Congress has formed a bipartisan investigative committee to understand the security failures and prevent future similar incidents. The committee, which includes representatives from both major political parties, is expected to submit its findings and recommendations by December 13th.
