The man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump spent months researching various targets before settling on the former president, FBI officials told reporters on Wednesday.
“We saw ... a sustained, detailed effort to plan an attack on some events, meaning he looked at any number of events or targets,” said Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh field office.
Former President Donald Trump, with blood on his face, is surrounded by Secret Service agents after being shot by would-be assassin Thomas Crooks at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024. Rebecca Droke/AFP via Getty Images
Rojek said that Thomas Matthew Crooks became “hyper-focused” on Trump’s July 13 rally after it was announced and “looked at it as a target of opportunity.” His internet searches included queries about the Butler Farm Show grounds and the setup for the event.
But officials have yet to identify a motive for the 20-year-old shooter’s attack.
“We have a clear idea of mindset, but we are not ready to make any conclusive statements regarding motive at this time,” Rojek said, noting that Crooks’s browsing history reflected a mixed bag of ideologies.
The FBI also released photos of evidence recovered from the scene. Among them were pictures of Crooks’s backpack, two improvised explosive devices that were found in his car, and the semiautomatic rifle he used.
Investigators believe that he broke the rifle down to hide it in his backpack. As for the explosives, officials said they had “several problems in the way they were constructed” and did not go off.
So far, investigators have not uncovered any evidence to suggest Crooks had help in carrying out his plans.
The 45th president narrowly avoided assassination but was struck by a bullet in his right ear. He says the wound has healed.
Three rally goers in the crowd were also shot that day. Two were critically wounded but survived their injuries. The third, firefighter Corey Comperatore, was killed on the spot.
—Zachary Stieber and Samantha Flom
TRACKING TRUMP'S CASES
Former President Donald Trump is still facing four prospective criminal cases despite each encountering significant roadblocks and delays in recent months. Even if they proceed on their own, they’re expected to encounter further hurdles before reaching any kind of resolution.
Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a superseding indictment in Washington on Aug. 27 in an attempt to continue his Jan. 6-related prosecution, which has been delayed since early this year. He portrayed the new indictment as attempting to respect the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling in Trump v. United States but it could face additional appeals depending on how Judge Tanya Chutkan rules.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s other election-related case technically isn’t over but faces dim prospects as oral arguments over her potential disqualification won’t be heard by the Georgia Court of Appeals until December.
Assuming Willis’s prosecution proceeds, with or without her, it will have to reckon with the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. In both that case and the New York case, the federal government’s supremacy over states would likely preclude prosecutors from being able to put Trump in prison if he enters the White House.
The New York case has managed to reach the verdict and sentencing stage but faces additional appeals the Trump legal team indicated it would pursue. Sentencing is currently scheduled for Sept. 19 but that could change if Justice Juan Merchan decides to postpone sentencing until after the election.
Each of the federal cases, in Florida and Washington, will likely be withdrawn by Trump if he retakes the presidency and is inaugurated in January.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit is expected to rule on Smith’s attempt to appeal Florida Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of the Mar-A-Lago documents case. Even if he wins in the 11th circuit, he could face a Supreme Court that might agree with Cannon’s determination that he was illegally appointed.
The rulings on immunity and special counsels could have rippling effects across multiple cases. Immunity, in particular, has been raised in the New York case and will likely factor in any continuation of the cases in Georgia and Florida.
—Sam Dorman
BOOKMARKS
Computer chip manufacturing company Nvidia has outperformed expectations by more than doubling its sales in the second quarter of the year, from May to July. Nvidia’s sales performance is seen as a barometer for the artificial intelligence (A.I.) market, since it produces more than 90 percent of of the chips used in A.I. processing.
California’s underground cannabis market has lead to a rising problem with housing contamination. The humidity required to grow marijuana can lead to outbreaks of black mold, and the pesticides used in cultivation sometimes permeate the walls and ventilation systems.
The White House says that President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will speak in the coming weeks in an effort to ease tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. National security adviser Jake Sullivan and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi have been in talks for the past two days, but are still at loggerheads about China’s aggressive stance toward U.S. allies in the region.
It’s come to light that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) originally objected to the construction of the makeshift pier designed to bring humanitarian relief to Gaza, and suggested a land route instead. The pier was constructed, but due to weather conditions it was only able to function intermittently, for 20 of the 90 days planned.
Tawainna Anderson’s lawsuit against Tik-Tok will proceed, following a federal appeals court ruling that overturned a lower-court decision granting immunity to Tik-Tok. Her daughter, 10-year-old Nylah Anderson, died after participating in a self-asphyxiating “blackout challenge” recommended to her by Tik-Tok’s algorithm.
A new Israeli operation in the West Bank has resulted in the death of 10 Hamas terrorists, and the arrest of five more, according to Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani. Kamal Abu al-Rub, governor of the Jenin region in the northern West Bank, reports that the Israelis have blockaded the area, cutting off access to hospitals.
