The agency says they want the ex-US president’s ‘perspective on what he observed’ during July 13 rally shooting
Former US President and Republican Party 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump has agreed to an interview with the FBI as part of their investigation into the attempted assassination that occurred earlier this month. The agency announced this on Monday.
Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, narrowly escaping death. One person in the audience was killed, and two more were wounded.
The FBI aims to “get his perspective on what he observed, just like any other witness to the crime,” according to Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office Kevin Rojek. He stated that this type of interview is standard practice for a victim of a crime.
Over two weeks after the attempted assassination of Trump, the FBI investigation is yet to identify the shooter’s motive.
The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired several shots at the Republican presidential nominee while he was giving a speech at an open-air campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. The bullets grazed Trump’s ear.
“While the FBI investigation may not yet have determined a motive, we believe the subject made significant efforts to conceal his activities,” Rojek said. The agency believes his actions indicate “careful planning ahead of the campaign rally,” the FBI official added. He noted Crooks had a small social circle, which “appears to be limited to his immediate family,” and had “few friends and acquaintances throughout his life.”
The would-be assassin used aliases to purchase firearms and explosives, explained Rojek. Earlier this year, Crooks made “six chemical precursor-related purchases online of materials used to create the explosive devices recovered in the subject’s vehicle and home,” he said.
The failed assassination has sparked widespread criticism and questions regarding security measures implemented before the event.
Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated the agency will leave “no stone unturned” in their investigation into what happened. A day earlier, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, acknowledging her agency’s failure to adequately protect the Republican frontrunner.