Congressmen released a preliminary investigation report into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump this week, declaring the assassin’s body “missing,” and saying the FBI acted “unprecedented” in a way that they believe “impeded further investigation efforts.”
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana), a member of the House Bipartisan Task Force on the Assassination Attempt of Donald J. Trump, released a preliminary investigative report in which he cited some of the startling facts he discovered during a “field investigation” research trip he conducted in Butler, Pennsylvania from August 4-6.
“The FBI wiped biological evidence from a crime scene. This is unheard of. Police would never do that.”
Higgins confirmed that the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, fired eight shots from the roof of the American Glass Research building during a Trump rally on July 13. Crooks was about 150 yards from the stage where Trump was delivering a campaign speech.
Higgins noted that the gunman’s location was surrounded by trees, making him “very well hidden” from counter-sniper teams in the North, but Crooks’ location “was not well hidden from counter-sniper teams in the South,” he said. Higgins added that the “attempting assassin was perfectly positioned to minimize the threat of return fire from ground and Secret Service counter-sniper teams.”
After Crooks fired eight shots at the former president, Butler’s “high-caliber” SWAT officers returned fire from the ground about 100 yards from the AGR building, striking Crooks with “a bullet through the butt of his rifle, which shattered and caused injuries to his face, neck and right shoulder area.”
The final shot that allegedly killed Crooks was fired by the US Secret Service’s Southern Anti-Sniper Team. The fatal shot entered the gunman’s mouth through the left side and exited near his right ear.
Higgins claimed the FBI destroyed all biological evidence before investigating the scene.
“The FBI removed biological evidence from the crime scene, which is unprecedented – law enforcement would never do such a thing,” Higgins wrote in the report.
Higgins said the investigation into the assassination attempt on President Trump had hit a new obstacle after discovering the shooter’s body had “disappeared.”
“My attempt to examine Mr. Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused a great stir and revealed disturbing facts. … The FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after the J13 incident,” the congressman said.
By July 23, “Crooks was gone,” he said.
“No one knew about this until Monday, August 5th – not the county coroner, not the police, not the sheriff,” Higgins continued. “Indeed, the Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I have spoken to the coroner and he would never have released Mr. Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without express permission from the FBI.”
“And like opening up a crime scene and destroying biological evidence at the crime scene, this action by the FBI would be interpreted by any reasonable person as nothing less than an obstruction of further investigative efforts,” Higgins said.
“The problem with not being able to examine the actual body is that you never know 100 percent if the coroner’s report or the autopsy report is accurate. We’ll never know. Yes, you get the reports and the photographs and so forth, but I can never say for sure that those reports and those photographs are accurate based on my own examination of the body,” Higgins said.
The Republican also said that both the medical examiner’s report and the autopsy report were “a week late” as of Aug. 5.
An FBI spokesman said: WTAE Television The agency said it was “surprised” and “troubled” by the allegations of obstruction and said it had no knowledge that Congress wanted to retain the agency to conduct its own investigation.
The spokesman said all FBI procedures were followed to remove biological evidence from the crime scene and to release the shooter’s body, which he said was released to his family after “a thorough and coordinated effort with the medical examiner’s office.”
Higgins also questioned why Butler County Tactical Command did not retrieve the radios that had been reserved for the Secret Service.
“Radio communications were properly and flawlessly prepared during extensive pre-mission planning,” Higgins said. “On J12, the Butler County ESU commander personally reminded the USSS countersniper team to pick up their assigned radios at the ESU HQ RV located as planned at the Butler Fairgrounds before 11 a.m. the next morning. However, this was not done.”
Anthony Guglielmi, public affairs director for the U.S. Secret Service, told WTAE-TV in response to the allegations made by lawmakers:
The July 13 interagency communication will be investigated in the U.S. Secret Service’s ongoing Mission Assurance Review. The U.S. Secret Service is engaged in an investigation into personnel decisions and actions related to the incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The U.S. Secret Service’s Mission Assurance Review is ongoing and is examining the processes, procedures and factors that led to this operational failure. Any identified and substantiated policy violations by personnel will be investigated by the Office of Professional Ethics for disciplinary action. The U.S. Secret Service strives to hold its personnel accountable to the highest professional standards.
Higgins praised the commander of the Butler County Tactical Team and the lead investigator for the Butler County District Attorney’s Office.
“They had nothing to hide and were 100% supportive, even though I made some pretty demanding demands on their time and resources on a tight schedule,” Higgins said.
Mr Higgins added that local police operations during the assassination attempt had been “very professionally conducted and led”.
Higgins said he would publish a “more comprehensive” report into the assassination attempt within weeks.
“As I have said, every question will be answered, every theory will be explored, every doubt will be dispelled. The American people have a right to know the full truth about the assassination attempt on President Trump,” Higgins said. Declared“Our investigation is being conducted in good faith, and the release of the preliminary investigation report reflects my desire to provide transparency and reassurance to the American people.”
The House Select Committee investigating the assassination attempt on former President Trump is scheduled to release its final report by December 13th.
Do you like Blaze News? Bypass censorship and subscribe to our newsletter to get stories like this delivered directly to your inbox. Sign up here!
