"Reflect Antisemitic and Anti-Immigration Themes": New Details Emerge on Trump's Would-Be Assassin
"Reflect Antisemitic and Anti-Immigration Themes": New Details Emerge on Trump's Would-Be Assassin
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00:00leaving no stone unturned.
00:03While it's not typical to provide details of an ongoing investigation,
00:07this, as we all know, is an extraordinarily tragic set of circumstances
00:11of the utmost national importance,
00:14making it essential to inform the American public and Congress
00:18what is known right now with full transparency.
00:22The investigation remains focused, of course, on determining motive,
00:26identifying any potential co-conspirators
00:28or others with knowledge of the attack,
00:30and building out a timeline of shooter Thomas Crook's actions
00:34in advance of and during the attack.
00:36Thus far, though absolutely nothing has been ruled out,
00:40the investigation has not identified a motive,
00:43nor any co-conspirators or others with advanced knowledge.
00:47To date, the FBI team has conducted more than 460 interviews,
00:51executed search warrants, including at the shooter's residence,
00:55and seized electronic media to include phones, laptops,
00:58hard drives, and thumb drives.
01:00Legal process has been issued to dozens of companies,
01:03and we've received more than 2,000 tips from the public.
01:07The full resources of the FBI have been brought to bear
01:10in furtherance of the investigation.
01:12Agents, analysts, professional staff, experts,
01:15I've personally visited the site of this horrific attack
01:18and seen firsthand the work of FBI Pittsburgh and our partners
01:22on the front line and want to thank all involved
01:25for their ongoing and tireless efforts to get the answers
01:28that we need and to deliver justice.
01:32Specialized resources deployed included evidence response teams,
01:35victim services specialists,
01:37laboratory and operational technology division resources
01:40to process physical and digital evidence,
01:43a shooting reconstruction team.
01:45Additionally, our explosive experts have analyzed
01:48the three IEDs recovered, two from the shooter's vehicle,
01:52one from the family residence,
01:54and our behavioral analysis unit, importantly,
01:57is helping to build a profile of the shooter
02:00to include his mental state.
02:02Next, I want to provide a brief highlighted overview
02:05of the timeline that has been established to date
02:07through witness interviews and other information.
02:10Again, this is our understanding at present
02:12and is subject to change and further refinement
02:15as more facts are collected.
02:17On July 3rd, the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania was announced.
02:20On July 6th, the shooter registered to attend the rally
02:23and performed a search for, quote,
02:26how far was Oswald from Kennedy?
02:29On July 7th, the shooter traveled from his home
02:31to the Butler Farm Show grounds
02:33and remained there for approximately 20 minutes.
02:36We assess this show's advanced planning and reconnaissance on his part.
02:40On July 12th, the shooter traveled from his home
02:43to the Clareton Sportsman Club where he practiced shooting.
02:46On the morning of July 13th, at approximately 10 a.m.,
02:49the shooter returned to the Farm Show grounds
02:52and remained there for about 70 minutes
02:54before returning home again.
02:56At approximately 1.30 p.m., while at the residence,
02:59the shooter's father gave him a rifle
03:02for the purpose, he believed,
03:04of going back to the Sportsman Club.
03:06About 25 minutes later,
03:08the shooter purchased ammunition
03:10while en route to the Butler Farm Show grounds.
03:14The subject then arrived at the scene
03:16and was moving around the Farm Show grounds
03:18close to the American Glass Research AGR building
03:22from which he ultimately committed the attack.
03:25Shortly thereafter, at approximately 3.51 p.m.,
03:28the shooter flew a drone approximately 200 yards
03:31from the Farm Show grounds for about 11 minutes.
03:34The drone and controller were later found in the subject's car.
03:38Analysis has not revealed any photos or video taken by the drone,
03:42but we can confirm that he was live streaming at the time
03:46and would have been able to view it on his controller.
03:50The first reported sighting of the shooter by local law enforcement
03:53was at approximately 4.26 p.m.
03:56At approximately 5.10 p.m.,
03:58the shooter was again identified by local law enforcement
04:02as a suspicious person around the AGR building.
04:06And at approximately 5.14 p.m.,
04:08a local SWAT operator took a photo of the shooter.
04:11At about 5.32 p.m., local SWAT observed the shooter
04:15next to the AGR building using his phone,
04:18browsing news sites, and with a rangefinder.
04:21At approximately 5.38 p.m.,
04:23the photo of the shooter taken earlier
04:26was sent to local SWAT operators in a text message group.
04:30Subsequently, approximately 25 minutes prior to the shooting,
04:34the U.S. Secret Service command post was notified of a suspicious person.
04:40Officers lost sight of the subject from approximately 6.02 p.m. to 6.08 p.m.,
04:45but continued to communicate with each other in an attempt to locate him.
04:50Recently discovered video from a local business
04:52shows the shooter pulling himself up onto the AGR building rooftop
04:57at approximately 6.06 p.m.
05:00And at approximately 6.08 p.m.,
05:02the subject was observed on the roof by local law enforcement.
05:07At approximately 6.11 p.m.,
05:09a local police officer was lifted to the roof by another officer,
05:13saw the shooter, and radioed that he was armed with, quote, a long gun.
05:18Within approximately the next 30 seconds, the shots were fired.
05:23The evidence recovery team found eight shell casings
05:26at the scene next to the shooter's body.
05:29We believe the subject, the shooter, fired eight rounds.
05:33While the investigation has not determined motive,
05:36the investigative team continues to review information from legal returns,
05:40including online and social media accounts.
05:44Something just very recently uncovered that I want to share
05:47is a social media account which is believed to be associated with the shooter
05:52in about the 2019-2020 time frame.
05:55There were over 700 comments posted from this account.
05:59Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter,
06:03appear to reflect anti-Semitic and anti-immigration themes
06:07to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature.
06:13While the investigative team is still working to verify this account
06:16to determine if it did, in fact, belong to the shooter,
06:19we believe it important to share and note it today,
06:22particularly given the general absence of other information
06:25from social media and other sources of information
06:28that reflect on the shooter's potential motive and mindset.
06:33These are the facts, in part, that the investigation has revealed to date.
06:37While the shooter is dead, our work is very much ongoing and urgent.
06:43Thank you, and I look forward to answering any and all questions.
06:47Thank you, Mr. Abate.
06:49We'll now proceed to Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Graham
06:52will ask the first two questions.
06:54I will then ask Question Ranking Member Paul,
06:56and then after that we will alternate between members of the Judiciary,
07:00recognized by Chairman Durbin,
07:02and members of the Homeland Security Committee, recognized by me.
07:05With that, Senator Durbin, you're recognized.