Hello everyone, let’s dive into a developing story that’s sending shockwaves through the political landscape.
Last month, an attempted assassination on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, nearly ended in tragedy. Now, new details are emerging about the gunman, 19-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who opened fire at the event, injuring Trump and killing one attendee.
According to Rep. Mike Waltz, a Republican from Florida and retired Green Beret who is part of a congressional task force investigating the attack, Crooks used encrypted messaging accounts on platforms based in Belgium, New Zealand, and Germany. Waltz shared this information during a press briefing at the Trump Hotel in Chicago on Wednesday.
Waltz expressed his frustration over the lack of clarity surrounding these accounts. He questioned why a young health care aide from the U.S. would need to use such sophisticated, overseas-based encrypted platforms, which are notoriously difficult for U.S. law enforcement to access.
“Why does a 19-year-old kid… need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad?” Waltz asked, hinting at the possibility of connections to terrorist organizations.
The representative didn’t hold back in criticizing the FBI and Secret Service for their slow release of information, insisting that the public deserves to know more about the ongoing threats. He pointed out that this wasn’t just an isolated incident, citing other alleged plots, including one involving a Pakistani national who reportedly paid hitmen to target Trump and other U.S. officials.
Waltz’s comments come ahead of a scheduled briefing by the FBI to the members of the task force. He expressed hope that this briefing would shed light on what he described as a “ridiculously flawed” security detail at the Butler rally.
On July 13, 2024, during the event, Crooks managed to fire shots from the crowd, grazing Trump’s ear with a bullet. Tragically, Crooks also killed 50-year-old rally attendee Corey Comperatore and wounded two others, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.
The attack has prompted multiple investigations, not only by the FBI and Secret Service but also by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
