FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday confirmed or revealed a slew of information about the would-be assassin of former President Trump, including new details about what the shooter was searching for online and what he did in the days, hours and minutes before he targeted the Republican presidential nominee on July 13.
Speaking before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, Wray called the assassination attempt “an attack on our democracy and our democratic process” and asserted that he “does not and will not tolerate political violence of any kind, especially a despicable act on this scale.”
The FBI is leading the criminal investigation into the incident at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Wray said investigators were “working tirelessly to determine the truth of what happened”, adding that they were “engaging the full resources of the FBI’s criminal and national security divisions”.
“We are going to exhaust all available resources,” he said in his opening remarks. “While the shooter may be dead, the FBI investigation remains ongoing.”
Wray also promised transparency, saying he wanted to provide lawmakers with “as much information as we can, given the current situation.”
Wray’s candor was a far cry from the damning testimony given by former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Monday, in which Cheatle refused to answer questions or confirm information that was already public, an attitude that frustrated lawmakers and led to her resignation on Tuesday.
Here are five takeaways from Ray’s testimony:
Searches related to JFK assassination found on perpetrator’s laptop
One of the most shocking revelations was that an analysis of the gunman’s laptop revealed that a week before the rally he had Googled “how far was Oswald from Kennedy” — a reference to Lee Harvey Oswald, who shot and killed former President Kennedy in 1963, according to Wray.
On the same day, July 6, Crooks registered for a Trump speech.
“We have discovered the following in the last few days… [the] “A laptop computer linked to the shooter during the investigation revealed that on July 6th he Googled ‘how far was Oswald from Kennedy,'” Wray said.
He said the search was “important” in determining the shooter’s mental state.
Wray also revealed that the FBI was able to break into Crooks’ phone, which he said was a “significant technical challenge,” and discovered that Crooks was using an encrypted messaging application.
Wray also said that while Crooks had one cell phone, the FBI has identified other cell phones he may have used, including one belonging to Crooks’ father, that are not necessarily related to the attack.
They also noted that Crooks was a “gamer” with accounts on various gaming platforms, but that no information about these has yet been found.
“We are processing and attempting to exploit any devices that Mr. Crooks may have used,” Wray said, suggesting earlier that the FBI was pursuing “legal proceedings” to access other accounts belonging to Mr. Crooks.
“We’re continually identifying new equipment, new accounts, etc.”
Based on what the FBI observed on his laptop and cell phone, Wray said the bureau found no evidence that Crooks had any foreign or domestic accomplices or co-conspirators, and people interviewed described him as a “lone wolf.”
“He doesn’t seem to have a lot of interaction with a lot of people, either in person or digitally,” Ray said, adding, “That’s not to say he doesn’t have interactions.”
The FBI still “does not have a clear view of his motives.”
The gun the perpetrator bought from his father was equipped with a “folding stock.”
Wray told deputies that Crooks’ AR-style rifle had a folding stock, “which may explain why it was more difficult for people to observe it.”
Wray said the FBI has yet to find any witnesses or video footage of Crooks walking around the venue with a gun, though witnesses said they first saw him with a gun when he was on the roof where the shooting occurred.
A folding stock “could potentially be a very important feature that comes into play with this,” he said.
Then, earlier that day, July 13, Crooks purchased 50 rounds of ammunition for a gun his father had legally purchased in 2013. Investigators used “paperwork” to determine that Crooks later legally purchased the rifle from his father in October 2023.
Wray acknowledged that he had previously known that Crooks had fired about eight shots at Trump before being shot and killed by a Secret Service counter-sniper.
Ray also confirmed that Crooks had purchased a roughly 5-foot ladder before the shooting, but that it was not found at the scene.
Investigators believe Crooks climbed onto the roof from the rear of the building “using mechanical equipment on the ground and vertical piping on the side of the building,” Ray said. “In other words, we do not believe he used a ladder to get onto the roof.”
The shooter flew the drone two hours before the rally.
Wray provided new information that a gunman had flown a drone over the Butler Fairgrounds about two hours before President Trump was to speak at the rally location.
The FBI director said Crooks was flying the drone about 200 yards from the stage between 3:50 and 4:00 p.m. Trump took the stage about two hours later, at 6:00 p.m.
“We believe he was watching the livestream, but we don’t know for sure. Again, this is one of the things that is limited by our ongoing investigation. [for] “About 11 minutes,” Ray said.
The drone was in Crooks’ vehicle at the time of the shooting, and is currently “under analysis and use at the FBI lab,” with the drone’s flight path during the rally being reverse engineered.
“We believe this footage would have been visible to the perpetrator. Again, we are still investigating this further. We believe this footage would have shown the perpetrator what was behind him as he was firing the gun,” Wray explained, adding that he gave Crooks a “rear-view mirror of the scene.”
Three ‘crude’ explosive devices discovered
The FBI also found three “relatively crude” explosive devices, two in Crooks’ car and one at his home.
Crooks was found to have a transmitter capable of remotely detonating a bomb in the car, but initial findings suggest that even if he had attempted it, he would not have been successful.
“The location of the receiver on and off makes it appear that if someone was trying to detonate it from the roof, it would not have worked,” Ray said. “But that doesn’t mean the explosives weren’t dangerous.”
Wray later said it was unclear whether Crooks was planning further disturbances during or after the rally, but the explosives found were convincing.
“What else he had in mind, I think, is a very open question,” he said.
Investigators also found “numerous firearms associated with the shooter and his family,” bringing the total to 14, Wray said.
Officers spotted the shooter with a rifle “just seconds” before the shooting.
Wray sought to establish a timeline of events from when Crooks was identified on the roof to when he fired at Trump.
A member of the public first saw Crooks on the roof “minutes before” he opened fire at 6:11 p.m. It’s unclear whether the person saw Crooks with a gun, but they “looked at him with a concerned look,” Ray said.
He added that local police first saw Crooks with the rifle “literally seconds before.”
A local police officer was lifted up by another officer to view the roof and saw Crooks in a “prone firing position” before the shooter turned and pointed his gun at the officers, Wray confirmed.
“All of this was seconds before the shooter opened fire,” he said.
Ray also said local police had observed the shooter with a rangefinder about an hour before the shooting, acting “oddly and suspiciously.”
