Law enforcement officials investigate attempted murder to former President Donald Trump still not identified the motive, but they briefed members of Congress Wednesday about what they have learned about bald people, Thomas Matthew Crooksand what was done in the month and day leading up to the attack on the July 13 rally.
According to three sources familiar with the briefing, on the day of the rally, Crooks, 20, searched online for photos of the Butler Farm Show grounds, rally siteand looking for Allegheny Arms, a gun shop in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where he lives.
The MP was also told that he had visited the rally site at least once before the attack.
The source said she searched online in April about major depressive disorder. In the days after the rally was announced, they made searches related to Trump, President Biden, former presidents on July 13 and the Democratic National Convention.
Secret Service and FBI officials, including Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle and FBI Director Christopher Wray, provided House and Senate lawmakers a separate brief on Wednesday to provide an update on the federal investigation into the assassination attempt.
Investigators are trying to access foreign encryption platforms used by Crooks
Briefers told lawmakers they are still trying to access three foreign encryption platforms used by Crooks on cellphones, multiple sources told CBS News. Sources said officials told lawmakers that the encrypted site presented challenges for investigators and would take time to decrypt.
According to the source, the officials told the members of parliament they found over 14,000 pictures on Crooks’ primary phone, and found among them pictures from the live online feed of the public meeting on July 13, saved at 6:01 pm. That’s for sure just 10 minutes before shooting began. They also found stock images of rifles and firearms, and articles related to American government officials.
Law enforcement also told lawmakers that they found evidence that Crooks’ parents tried to reach out and find him on the day of the rally, though the timing was unclear. The gunman’s father called the police before the shooting started, concerned about his son and where he was, law enforcement sources confirmed.
Guns, a second phone, an explosive device was found in front of the gunman
Sources familiar with the briefing told CBS News that among the evidence law enforcement found on and near the gunman’s body were an AR-style rifle, a remote transmitter and a primary cell phone. Sources said investigators​​​​found two explosive devices, a drone, a tactical vest and four magazines of the same ammunition used in the attack in Crooks’ car.
In the home he shared with his parents and sister, investigators​​​​ seized more than a dozen weapons, explosive devices, a secondary cell phone, a laptop, a hard drive and three USB flash drives.
Members of Parliament were also briefed on the matter event timeline leading to the shooting, including that the Secret Service was notified by the Pennsylvania State Police of a suspicious person with a rangefinder in the grounds, approximately 20 minutes before the shooter fired at Trump.
There is no evidence of political or ideological leanings
Despite the pile of evidence, and more than 200 interviews conducted in the investigation so far, officials still haven’t determined what may have motivated the gunman, nor have they found any evidence pointing to him. politics or ideology.
Lawmakers took to social media during and after the briefing to protest what they said was limited information and responsiveness from the briefer. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, called the briefing “unbelievable.” Utah Senator Mike Lee, also a Republican, sent in X during his briefing that the official “flooded us with useless details.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing ahead with a classification briefing for members next week, according to one source familiar with the matter. He also plans to create a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt, with more details to be released next week.
