Details Emerge About Thomas Crooks, Would-Be Presidential Assassin
In Washington, Thomas Crooks, a young man who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, reportedly took steps to hide his online activities, according to federal documents reviewed by The Post. The 20-year-old used the alias “Bob Dole” for various purchases on platforms like Amazon to have items sent to his parents’ home. This was revealed by his father, Matthew Crooks, during a conversation with the FBI shortly after the shooting incident, which occurred at a campaign rally in July 2024.
The packages delivered to the Crooks household included various components like “parts, tools, and items designed to enhance the capability of his rifle.” This particular firearm was presented to him by his father on the morning of the rally held at Butler Farm Show Grounds in Pennsylvania.
It remains somewhat unclear why Thomas chose the name of the late Kansas senator, who was the Republican nominee in the unsuccessful 1996 presidential race, especially since his parents claimed he didn’t show much political interest.
Matthew Crooks explained to the FBI that his son adopted the false identity after their bank account experienced a hacking incident. Subsequently, Thomas guided his father on how to utilize a virtual private network and a secure browser for safer internet use.
Thomas suggested to his father that platforms like Cyber Ghost VPN and BraveNet Browser offered protection from hackers and were “less likely to be compromised by outsiders,” according to his dad’s recollections.
The elder Crooks also indicated that his son believed using pseudonyms for purchases would prevent hacking. However, he pointed out that transactions made under a fictitious name still tied back to financial accounts in their real names, which seems to have been lost on Thomas, who kept insisting on using aliases.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, acquired FBI documents related to the investigation into the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler.
Officials from the Bureau disclosed last year that Thomas Crooks had created no fewer than 35 digital accounts, all of which agents were able to access, including some linked to foreign email services from Germany and Belgium.
However, the investigation conducted by FBI Director Kash Patel and others determined that no foreign connections were linked to the assassination attempt.
Using a political name for an online account was unusual behavior for Crooks. Previous reports indicated that he once operated under the username “epicmicrowave” on a fan art website.
While Matthew Crooks asserted that his son lacked distinct political affiliations, an unnamed informant from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) suggested that Thomas was “a big history buff” interested in politics and often discussed “Trump and Biden” during Trump’s initial election period.
This latest information raises more questions regarding the seemingly quiet gunman who targeted Trump over two years ago, especially as Patel is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee soon.
