The Body Of Trump's Would-Be Assassin Has Caused A Stir In DC

When Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to assassinate former president Donald Trump in July 2024, he seemed to have a lot of luck on his side. Various Secret Service failures allowed him to get in range of Trump by climbing onto a nearby building at the president's Butler, Pennsylvania rally (some of which, in hindsight, don't really make any sense). The series of oversights has caused plenty of blowback for law enforcement and government officials, who have been criticized for everything from not securing enough resources for the event to failing to properly escort Trump away from danger.

Days after Crooks was shot dead after firing at the former president, the FBI reportedly decided to release his body back to his family. Notably, in a preliminary investigative report released in August 2024, Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins — a member of the House of Representatives task force probing security failures around the assassination attempt — claimed he tried to examine the body but was unable to. "My effort to examine Crooks' body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact ... the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after [July 13]," the Republican politician wrote. "On [July 23], Crooks was gone. Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement, Sheriff, etc."

American trust in its government institutions has never quite recovered since the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the Secret Secret failures around Thomas Matthew Crooks' attempt on Donald Trump's life suggest that won't be changing anytime soon. The FBI's apparent decision to release the culprit's body has sparked criticism from some in Washington amid investigations into that fateful day in July. 2024. "This action by the FBI can only be described by any reasonable man as an obstruction to any following investigative effort," Rep. Clay Higgins wrote in his report.

He noted that on the day Crooks was cremated, both the Homeland Security Committee and the Oversight Committee had begun an investigation into the events of July 13. "Why, then, by what measure, would the FBI release his body to the family for cremation?" he asked. "This pattern of investigative scorched earth by the FBI is quite troubling." Elsewhere in the report, Higgins questioned the FBI's decision to clear biological evidence from the crime scene, which is said is "unheard of." He also claimed to have spoken with first responders who "expressed everything from surprise to dismay to suspicion" at the bureau's decision to release the area after just three days.

Rep. Clay Higgins also used his report to touch on the speculation of a second shooter — a suggestion that outlets like CBS News called a "conspiracy theory." Much like some of John F. Kennedy's doctors believe Lee Harvey Oswald didn't act alone, some believe that Thomas Matthew Crooks wasn't the only person involved in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. After the incident, people took to X (formerly Twitter) to share photos of a nearby water tower and suggested it's where a second shooter might have been stationed.

"There are videos on the internet showing a dark figure or a shadow on the water tower on [July 13]," Higgins wrote in his preliminary report. According to CBS News, the shadows were likely from a vent and Pennsylvania American Water logo, and there's no evidence thus far that suggests a sniper was positioned in the area. Higgins seems to agree that the water tower theory is bunk — though he didn't outright rule out a second shooter. "I'm not saying conclusively that there was no other shooter somewhere or that no other conspirators were involved in [January 13], but I'm saying that based on my investigation thus far, there were 10 shots fired on [January 13], and all shots are accounted for, and all shots align with their source," he wrote. Given the prevalence of the second shooter theory in JFK's assassination, it seems that the details of the attempt on Trump's life may too be debated for years to come.