Trump shooter's online activity shows searches of rally site, use of encrypted platforms, officials say
Law enforcement officials investigating the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump still have not identified a motive, but they briefed members of Congress Wednesday about what they've learned about the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and what he did in the months and days leading up to the attack at the July 13 rally.
According to three sources familiar with the briefing, on the day of the rally, Crooks, 20, sought out online photos of Butler Farm Show grounds, the site of the rally, and made searches about Allegheny Arms, a gun shop in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, where he lived.
Lawmakers were also told that he visited the site of the rally at least one time before the attack.
The sources said he searched online in April about major depressive disorder. In the days after the rally was announced, he made searches related to Trump, President Biden, the former president's whereabouts 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 separate briefings on Wednesday to give updates about the federal investigation into the assassination attempt.
Investigators trying to access foreign encrypted platforms used by Crooks
The briefers told lawmakers they are still attempting to access three foreign encrypted platforms that Crooks used on his cellphone, multiple sources told CBS News. Sources said officials told lawmakers that the encrypted sites are presenting challenges to investigators and could take time to decrypt.
According to the sources, the officials told lawmakers they found over 14,000 images on Crooks' primary phone, and found among them a screenshot of an online live feed of the July 13 rally, saved at 6:01 p.m.. That would have been just 10 minutes before the shooting began. They also found stock images of guns and firearms, and articles related to American government officials.
Law enforcement also informed lawmakers that they found evidence Crooks' parents attempted to reach and locate him on the day of the rally, though the timing was unclear. The gunman's father called police before the shooting began, concerned about his son and his whereabouts, a law enforcement source confirmed Thursday.
Guns, second phone, explosive device found in gunman's home
The sources familiar with the briefing told CBS News that among the evidence that law enforcement found on and near the gunman's body was an AR-style rifle, a remote transmitter and a primary cellphone. Sources said investigators found two explosive devices, a drone, a tactical vest and four magazines of the same ammunition used in the attack inside Crooks' car.
In his house he shared with his parents and sister, investigators seized over a dozen weapons, an explosive device, a secondary cellphone, a laptop, a hard drive and three USB flash drives.
The lawmakers were also briefed on the timeline of events leading up to the shooting, including that Secret Service were notified by Pennsylvania State Police of a suspicious person with a rangefinder on the grounds, roughly 20 minutes before the shooter fired on Trump.
No evidence on political or ideological leanings
Despite the piles of evidence, and over 200 interviews conducted in the investigation so far, the officials still have not determined what may have motivated the gunman, nor have they found evidence revealing his political or ideological leanings.
Lawmakers took to social media during and after the briefings to rail against what they said was limited information and responsiveness from the briefers. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, called the briefing "unbelievably uninformative." Utah Sen. Mike Lee, also a Republican, posted on X during the briefing that the officials were "flooding us with details that aren't all that helpful."
House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed for a classified briefing for members next week, according to one source familiar with the matter. He also plans to set up a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt, with more details set to be released next week.
