Additional details about the gunman who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump were revealed during a private meeting between the former president and FBI officials last week, according to a report by ABC News.
Trump previously agreed to be interviewed by the FBI as part of the bureau’s investigation into the shooting at Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, hit the tip of Trump’s right ear in the incident. Two other rally-goers were also injured by gunfire, and one attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed.
The interview, according to a previous statement by special agent Kevin Rojek, is part of the FBI’s standard protocol to talk with victims during criminal investigations. But sources familiar with the meeting told ABC News that the 90-minute conversation on August 1 was full of details about the bureau’s investigation into Crooks, including revealing that FBI agents found the gunman had been a “strikingly intelligent man.”
FBI agents told Trump that Crooks had scored higher than 1500 on his SAT exam and that there were also signs that the gunman had an undiagnosed disorder. Interviews with Crooks’ family and other individuals who knew him said that the gunman would sway back and forth while standing and waiting at the bus stop but that Crooks had never received a formal diagnosis related to the symptom.
Sources also told ABC News that the FBI was still unable to determine what motivated Crooks to target the former president. Trump was told, however, given that Crooks had done online searches for both Republicans and Democrats in the days leading up to the shooting, that it was possible the former president was targeted because he was the next big political figure to visit Pennsylvania.
Trump had reportedly asked the FBI several questions during the meeting as well, including asking if the bureau had determined if any foreign entities were connected to the attack. The FBI agents told Trump, per ABC News, that they had been able to access three foreign email accounts used by Crooks but that there was no indication that anyone else was involved in the assassination attempt.
The FBI National Press Office declined comment on the ABC News report. Newsweek also reached out to Trump’s campaign via email Friday evening.
Several questions still surround the assassination attempt. Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned 10 days after the shooting, was pressed by lawmakers during an appearance before the House Oversight Committee last month about how Crooks had been able to get so close to Trump. Reports have also surfaced that Crooks was spotted by law enforcement part of the security detail for Trump’s rally before the shooting occurred.
Trump told reporters during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Friday that he had spoken with the FBI about the assassination attempt and that he believed agents were doing a “very good job” in investigating the shooting.
“The FBI came to see me about the shooter. I think they’ve done a very good job. And I think they did a very good job,” he said.
Update 08/09/24, 7:56 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with a response from the FBI National Press Office.
