FBI Responds to Congressman Saying Trump Shooter’s Body Is ‘Gone’, Reveals ‘Disturbing Fact’ About Investigation
The FBI is pushing back after a Republican made the surprise discovery that the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks, Donald Trump’s shooter, was quietly cremated.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana), a member of the independent congressional task force investigating the tragic July 13 assassination attempt, revealed in an independent report released this week that Crooks’ body “disappeared.”
Higgins, a former police chief, wrote that he “caused quite a stir” when he sought to examine Crooks’ body, during which “a disturbing fact came to light.”
It was then that he learned that the FBI had released the body for cremation 10 days after the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.
But the FBI denies Republicans’ allegations that they are obstructing the investigation.
“Any suggestion that the FBI is interfering with Congress’s efforts to investigate the attempted murder in Butler, Pennsylvania, is false and unfounded,” an FBI spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., a former police officer, conducted his own investigation into the near-assassination of Donald Trump and revealed that the body of gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was cremated before he or other lawmakers could review it.
“The FBI worked closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting. We followed normal procedures in processing the scene and evidence.”
“The FBI continues to work diligently to develop the most complete picture possible of what led up to the shooting. We remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to brief Congress and release information to the public about the ongoing investigation,” the statement said.
But the Republican’s sudden discovery has caused a stir, with some claiming that “all roads” lead to a “cover-up.”
“All roads continue to lead to the involvement of alphabet agencies and/or a cover-up of what actually happened in Butler, Pennsylvania when President Trump was shot,” Kylie Jane Kremer, executive director of Women for America First, wrote on X in response to Higgins’ findings.
“It’s very odd that in such an important case, there would be a rush to cremate the body,” host Dan Bongino asked after the report was released.
Podcaster Chris Martenson posted: ‘Disturbing’ doesn’t even begin to describe this. It’s now a ‘crime’ until proven guilty.
Bo Snerdley, Rush Limbaugh’s longtime partner and radio host, wrote on X: “Why was the decision made to dispose of the body as quickly as possible? What purpose did it serve?”
“The body of alleged Trump assassin, Crooks, has been cremated. The FBI released his body to the family just 10 days after the attack. To this day, the coroner’s report has still not been released. Cover. Up,” Libertarian podcaster Clint Russell wrote in response to the Republicans’ report.
Bodycam footage released by Butler Township from the day a gunman attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump shows the moment police encountered the shooter before he opened fire on the crowd
Bodycam video released by Sen. Chuck Grassely, R-Iowa, shows the moments authorities discovered Crooks’ body
Higgins’ report states that “no one knew” the body had been returned to the family, not even the county coroner and local police.
He wrote that the coroner still had “legal authority over the body” when the FBI made its decision and accused the agency of “obstruction.”
The report comes amid deep concerns about how the shooting, which narrowly left Trump dead and a rally attendee dead, was allowed to happen in one of the worst security failures in U.S. history.
His “preliminary investigation report” was submitted to Task Force Chairman Mike Kelly (R-PA) on August 12 and made public on Higgins’ website on August 15.
In it, he questions why Crooks’ body was released to the family by the FBI without any oversight.
“The problem with not being able to examine the body is that I don’t know 100% that the coroner’s report and autopsy report are accurate. We’ll never really know,” Higgins writes.
The body of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate former President Trump, was returned to his family for cremation just 10 days after the shooting
By July 23, “Crooks was gone,” Higgins wrote. “No one knew this until Monday, August 5, including the county coroner, police, sheriff, etc.”
“Yes, we get the reports and the photos, but I will never be able to say for sure whether those reports and photos are accurate based on my own examination of the body.”
The report continues: “As with the declassification of the crime scene and the erasure of biological evidence from the crime scene… this action by the FBI can only be described by any reasonable person as an obstruction of any subsequent investigation.”
According to the Louisianan, on July 23, the day Crooks was cremated, both the Homeland Security Committee and the Oversight Committee had opened investigations into the attempted assassination, with Chairman Mike Johnson stating he was creating a congressional investigating body.
“Why, then, in what way, would the FBI release his body to the family for cremation? This pattern of investigative burnt earth by the FBI is quite disturbing.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to the FBI for comment.