Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana) said in a report Monday that members of the Butler Special Forces unit shot attempted assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ gun “off the ground” before he was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper during former President Donald Trump’s July 13 campaign rally.
A total of 10 shots were fired at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, Rep. Higgins said. said This was stated in a preliminary investigative report submitted to Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA), chairman of the Bipartisan Task Force Investigating the Assassination Attempt of President Donald Trump.
The report states that “eight shots were fired” from the rooftop firing position from which Crooks was shot (and nearly died), and that all eight shell casings are now “believed to be in the proper possession of the FBI.”
“We are also told that Thomas Matthew Crooks’ rifle is officially in the possession of the FBI,” the congressman noted. “We need to examine all of the physical evidence that has been collected by law enforcement and is in the possession of the FBI. All of it.”
Notably, the ninth shot fired at the July 13 rally “was fired by a Butler SWAT officer from the ground approximately 100 yards from the AGR building,” Higgins continued in his report.
Deputies said nine bullets “struck the butt of Crooks’ rifle,” shattering it and scattering bullets around the suspect’s face, neck and right shoulder.
At that point, Crooks “fell” from his firing position and “SWAT officers were certain they had hit him,” but seconds later the would-be presidential assassin “recovered” and “rose to his feet” again, the report added.
“The tenth (and possibly final) shot was fired by a Confederate countersniper unit,” Higgins said in the report. “We cannot be 100% certain until we investigate further.”
He also said he “doesn’t think it’s likely” there was a second shooter atop the water tower at the July 13 rally, and “I have not seen any evidence to support the notion that there was a second shooter.”
“I’m not categorically saying there weren’t other shooters somewhere or that there weren’t other co-conspirators at J13, but I am saying based on my investigation to date, 10 shots were fired at J13, every shot has been accounted for, every shot is consistent with a source,” he said.
“Crooks’ firing position was not adequately concealed from the Confederate countersniper team,” Higgins added.
“It is noteworthy, however, that the would-be assassin was perfectly positioned to minimize the threat of return fire from ground and U.S. Navy counter-sniper forces,” the congressman said.
The findings of Higgins’ report are interesting because Acting Director of the Secret Service Ronald Lowe made no mention of Special Forces Officer Butler during an August 2 press conference detailing the events that took place at the July 13 rally.
Elsewhere in the report, Higgins said he called for an examination of Crooks’ body but discovered the shooter’s body was “gone” and that “the FBI had cleaned biological evidence from the crime scene,” which the lawmakers said “demeans Crooks.”[d]” investigation.
“My efforts to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5th caused quite a stir and revealed disturbing facts…The FBI released the body for cremation 10 days later. [July] “The 13th,” the congressman said. [July] On the 23rd, Crooks disappeared.
“Nobody knew about this until Monday, Aug. 5 — the county coroner, the police, the sheriff,” Higgins added.
“The FBI cleaned up the crime scene of any biological evidence, which is unprecedented and something law enforcement would never do,” the lawmakers argued in the report. “It is notable that the FBI was fully aware that Congress would be investigating J13.”
“The FBI does not exist in a vacuum,” Higgins added. “They would have known that releasing the J13 crime scene would have a negative impact on the immediate observation of the subsequent investigation.”
The senator also noted that on the day Crooks’ body was cremated, “both the Homeland Security and Oversight Committees had opened House committee jurisdictional investigations into J13, and Chairman Johnson had already indicated he would establish a formal congressional investigative body.”
“So why and by what means did the FBI release the body to the family and have it cremated?” Higgins asked. “The scorched earth pattern of the FBI’s investigation is deeply disturbing.”
“The FBI’s actions would be interpreted by any reasonable person as nothing less than an obstruction of further investigative efforts,” the congressman said.
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