While the assassination attempt on Trump is already shrouded in all kinds of theories, conspiracies and myths, new details have revealed more about what TMCrooks was up to in the days and hours leading up to the fatal hit.
But investigators, who are searching for physical and digital traces of the suspect, are still missing the most important detail — a motive — that could explain why a 20-year-old man climbed onto a roof in Butler, Pennsylvania with an AR-style weapon.
Paul Abbate, deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said during a press conference that the department had never found any political or ideological information about the suspected shooter that could provide a pretext for such an attack.
CNN reports that it was revealed that TMCrooks had searched the Internet for information about a major depressive disorder.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, FBI Director Chris Wray and Deputy Director Paul Abbate briefed the House and Senate by phone on Wednesday about what law enforcement has learned so far about the shooting at a Trump rally.
Lawmakers told CNN in calls that Secret Service and FBI officials provided new details about TMCrooks’ mental state and actions before he fired a bullet at Trump on Saturday.
Two interviewees said lawmakers also received information that the shooter had visited the rally site twice. It is noted that the mobile data allowed to record that the shooter spent about 70 minutes at the venue.
Sources familiar with the investigation told CNN that in addition to photos of Trump and Biden, the shooter’s phone also contained photos of congressional leaders such as House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Almost all of the photos appeared to be downloaded from the internet and were not accompanied by any threatening language or messages. Sources familiar with the investigation confirmed to CNN that the phone also helped reveal that as recently as this spring, TMCrooks had searched the Internet for dates and locations of Trump rallies and information about two political conventions.
According to Mr. Wray, the FBI has conducted more than 200 interviews so far, and promised to leave “no stone unturned” in the investigation.
When and where the shooter was spotted
Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, posted on social media that law enforcement had “identified the shooter as a ‘suspicious’ as little as 19 minutes before the shooting.” However, despite trying to locate him, they were unable to find him before he had climbed onto the roof.
According to Butler Township Chief Tom Knights, police responded to a call about a “suspicious male” around the same time Trump arrived for his rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
VIDEO: A witness saw the gunman climb the roof before shooting Trump
In a statement released Wednesday, Knights said a report of a suspicious man led him to be near the building where the former president was shot, about 150 meters north of the rally scene.
Secret Service agents killed TMCrooks only after he opened fire. He managed to kill a volunteer firefighter attending the event with his family, wound two more people and hit D. Trump in the ear.
The Butler Township manager said officers initially did not find the person reported near the building. He said the officer then tried to reach the roof with the help of a colleague who tried to lift him up. And then the officer, holding on to the ledge, saw a person on the roof who pointed a rifle at him, T. Knights explained.
“The officer was in a helpless position and there was no way he could deal with the attacker, holding on to the edge of the roof. The officer let go and fell to the ground,” he explained.
AFP/Scanpix/Assassination of Donald Trump
Butler Township police “immediately” reported the location of the individual and shared information that he had a gun, but “moments later the individual opened fire,” according to the statement.
Calls to resign
CNN reported that after the failure of the Security Service, its head, K. Cheatle, came under pressure to resign from her position.
A video posted by Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn shows senators confronting Cheatle about why Trump was allowed to take the stage in Butler when law enforcement was already notified of the threat.
“I don’t think this is the right forum for this discussion,” she shot back.
Later, the Director of the Secret Service volunteered to answer senators’ questions at another time and left.
Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming accused the head of the service of having “no shame or concern” for not bothering to protect the president of the United States: “This was an assassination attempt.”
AP/Scanpix/US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle
Earlier Wednesday, Republican Mitch McConnell called the attempt on Trump’s life “a serious attack on American democracy.”
“The nation deserves answers and accountability,” the Kentucky Republican said in a statement. “New leadership at the Secret Service would be an important step in that direction.”
During a briefing with lawmakers on Wednesday, Cheatle acknowledged that the agency she leads has made mistakes and that there have been failures.
Source: www.15min.lt
