19 lost minutes: Law enforcement failed to keep sight of Trump shooter, whose motive is still unclear to investigators
(CNN) — Thomas Matthew Crooks visited the Donald Trump rally location twice, his cell phone contained images of both Trump and President Joe Biden, and the would-be assassin’s search history included dates of the Democratic National Convention as well as future Trump events, three US officials told CNN.
The new details revealed more about what Crooks was doing in the days and hours leading up to his attempt to assassinate the former president. But investigators combing through Crooks’ physical and digital trail still lack the key detail that would explain why the 20-year-old climbed the roof in Butler, Pennsylvania, with an AR-style weapon: a motive.
Crooks also conducted searches online about major depression disorder, administration officials told Congress during briefings Wednesday.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, FBI Director Chris Wray and FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate briefed the House and Senate by phone Wednesday on what law enforcement has learned so far about the shooting attack at the Trump rally.
The officials said there is still not a clear motive for the assassination attempt, according to lawmakers. Abbate said in the briefings that the department has not found political or ideological information about the suspect at the shooter’s home.
Lawmakers on the calls told CNN that the Secret Service and FBI officials provided new details on Crooks’ mental state and actions before he shot at Trump on Saturday, though many expressed dissatisfaction at what they were told to explain how Crooks was able to fire multiple shots at Trump.
Two sources on the call also said briefers told lawmakers that the shooter visited the rally location twice after the Butler rally was announced, including on the day of the shooting. Based on cell phone data, it was estimated that the shooter was there for 70 minutes.
Law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation told CNN that in addition to the photos of Trump and Biden, the shooter’s phone also contained pictures of congressional leaders, such as House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
There were also pictures of other politicians across the political spectrum, including Rudy Giuliani, the former Trump attorney involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who is prosecuting both Trump and Giuliani.
Almost all of the pictures appeared to have been downloaded from the internet and were not accompanied by any threatening language or messages. Sources briefed on the investigation told CNN that the phone also showed searches dating back to this spring, looking for the dates and locations of Trump rallies and for information on the two political conventions.
US officials said the significance of the photos, as well as the searches for the conventions and Trump events, is not clear.
Wray announced in the briefings that the FBI has conducted more than 200 interviews to date and vowed to leave “no stone unturned” in the investigation, one lawmaker said.
Earlier Thursday, CNN, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that Crooks posted, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds.” The FBI told senators on Wednesday that they believed the account did indeed belong to Crooks, the source familiar with the briefing said.
A US official briefed on the matter, however, later told CNN that investigators believe the account in his name is fake.
When was Crooks spotted and where
Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, wrote on social media that law enforcement had “identified the shooter as ‘suspicious’ a full 19 minutes before the shooting.”
A source told CNN that about 19 minutes before the shooting occurred, law enforcement was trying to locate the shooter, but they could not find him until he was on the roof.
Police responded to a call of a “suspicious male” around the same time that Trump arrived for his Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, according to Butler Township Manager Tom Knights.
Knights said in a statement Wednesday that the report of the suspicious male placed him as being near the AGR building, where Trump’s would-be assassin ultimately launched his attack.
From the roof of the building, which was roughly 150 yards north of the rally stage, Crooks fired several shots at Trump, grazing him in the ear and hitting several rally attendees, including one who was killed. Secret Service agents killed Crooks after he opened fire.
Officers did not initially locate the person around the building, according to Knights’ statement. He said an officer then tried to access the roof with the help of a colleague who tried to hoist him up. The officer scaling the side of the building saw an individual on the roof who pointed a rifle at him, Knights said.
“The officer was in a defenseless position and there was no way he could engage the actor while holding onto the roof edge. The officer let go and fell to the ground,” Knights said.
Butler Township Police “immediately” communicated the individual’s location and shared that he had a gun but, “Moments later, the individual commenced firing,” according to the statement.
Calls for Secret Service director to quit
The Wednesday briefings came amid growing calls from Republicans for Cheatle to resign as director of the Secret Service, including from Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
A stunning scene played out at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday as a group of Republican senators chased Cheatle through the Fiserv Forum, shouting that she had refused to answer questions regarding the assassination attempt on Trump.
Video posted by Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn shows the senators confronting Cheatle about why Trump was still able to go onstage in Butler when law enforcement had already been made aware of a threat.
“I don’t think that this is the forum to have this discussion,” Cheatle replied.
The Secret Service director later offered to answer the senators’ questions at another time and moved to leave. At that point, the senators began following her.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the Senate’s No. 3 Republican, accused Cheatle of having “no shame, no concern. You’re supposed to protect the president of the United States.”
“This was an assassination attempt. You owe the people answers. You owe President Trump answers,” Blackburn said as the Secret Service director continued walking.
Earlier Wednesday, McConnell called the attempt on Trump’s life “a grave 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.”
Speaking to lawmakers on a Wednesday briefing call, Cheatle acknowledged that her agency had made mistakes and that there were failures.
She told CNN in an interview Tuesday that the agency was “solely responsible” for the implementation and execution of security at the rally site and that it would make any needed changes in response to the internal and external reviews that will be conducted.
House lawmakers are likely to get the chance to question Cheatle directly on Monday at an Oversight Committee hearing.
This story and headline have been updated with additional information.
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