"Reflect Antisemitic and Anti-Immigration Themes": New Details Emerge on Trump's Would-Be Assassin

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00:00leaving no stone unturned.

00:03While it's not typical to provide details of an ongoing investigation,

00:07this, as we all know, is an extraordinarily tragic set of circumstances

00:11of the utmost national importance,

00:14making it essential to inform the American public and Congress

00:18what is known right now with full transparency.

00:22The investigation remains focused, of course, on determining motive,

00:26identifying any potential co-conspirators

00:28or others with knowledge of the attack,

00:30and building out a timeline of shooter Thomas Crook's actions

00:34in advance of and during the attack.

00:36Thus far, though absolutely nothing has been ruled out,

00:40the investigation has not identified a motive,

00:43nor any co-conspirators or others with advanced knowledge.

00:47To date, the FBI team has conducted more than 460 interviews,

00:51executed search warrants, including at the shooter's residence,

00:55and seized electronic media to include phones, laptops,

00:58hard drives, and thumb drives.

01:00Legal process has been issued to dozens of companies,

01:03and we've received more than 2,000 tips from the public.

01:07The full resources of the FBI have been brought to bear

01:10in furtherance of the investigation.

01:12Agents, analysts, professional staff, experts,

01:15I've personally visited the site of this horrific attack

01:18and seen firsthand the work of FBI Pittsburgh and our partners

01:22on the front line and want to thank all involved

01:25for their ongoing and tireless efforts to get the answers

01:28that we need and to deliver justice.

01:32Specialized resources deployed included evidence response teams,

01:35victim services specialists,

01:37laboratory and operational technology division resources

01:40to process physical and digital evidence,

01:43a shooting reconstruction team.

01:45Additionally, our explosive experts have analyzed

01:48the three IEDs recovered, two from the shooter's vehicle,

01:52one from the family residence,

01:54and our behavioral analysis unit, importantly,

01:57is helping to build a profile of the shooter

02:00to include his mental state.

02:02Next, I want to provide a brief highlighted overview

02:05of the timeline that has been established to date

02:07through witness interviews and other information.

02:10Again, this is our understanding at present

02:12and is subject to change and further refinement

02:15as more facts are collected.

02:17On July 3rd, the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania was announced.

02:20On July 6th, the shooter registered to attend the rally

02:23and performed a search for, quote,

02:26how far was Oswald from Kennedy?

02:29On July 7th, the shooter traveled from his home

02:31to the Butler Farm Show grounds

02:33and remained there for approximately 20 minutes.

02:36We assess this show's advanced planning and reconnaissance on his part.

02:40On July 12th, the shooter traveled from his home

02:43to the Clareton Sportsman Club where he practiced shooting.

02:46On the morning of July 13th, at approximately 10 a.m.,

02:49the shooter returned to the Farm Show grounds

02:52and remained there for about 70 minutes

02:54before returning home again.

02:56At approximately 1.30 p.m., while at the residence,

02:59the shooter's father gave him a rifle

03:02for the purpose, he believed,

03:04of going back to the Sportsman Club.

03:06About 25 minutes later,

03:08the shooter purchased ammunition

03:10while en route to the Butler Farm Show grounds.

03:14The subject then arrived at the scene

03:16and was moving around the Farm Show grounds

03:18close to the American Glass Research AGR building

03:22from which he ultimately committed the attack.

03:25Shortly thereafter, at approximately 3.51 p.m.,

03:28the shooter flew a drone approximately 200 yards

03:31from the Farm Show grounds for about 11 minutes.

03:34The drone and controller were later found in the subject's car.

03:38Analysis has not revealed any photos or video taken by the drone,

03:42but we can confirm that he was live streaming at the time

03:46and would have been able to view it on his controller.

03:50The first reported sighting of the shooter by local law enforcement

03:53was at approximately 4.26 p.m.

03:56At approximately 5.10 p.m.,

03:58the shooter was again identified by local law enforcement

04:02as a suspicious person around the AGR building.

04:06And at approximately 5.14 p.m.,

04:08a local SWAT operator took a photo of the shooter.

04:11At about 5.32 p.m., local SWAT observed the shooter

04:15next to the AGR building using his phone,

04:18browsing news sites, and with a rangefinder.

04:21At approximately 5.38 p.m.,

04:23the photo of the shooter taken earlier

04:26was sent to local SWAT operators in a text message group.

04:30Subsequently, approximately 25 minutes prior to the shooting,

04:34the U.S. Secret Service command post was notified of a suspicious person.

04:40Officers lost sight of the subject from approximately 6.02 p.m. to 6.08 p.m.,

04:45but continued to communicate with each other in an attempt to locate him.

04:50Recently discovered video from a local business

04:52shows the shooter pulling himself up onto the AGR building rooftop

04:57at approximately 6.06 p.m.

05:00And at approximately 6.08 p.m.,

05:02the subject was observed on the roof by local law enforcement.

05:07At approximately 6.11 p.m.,

05:09a local police officer was lifted to the roof by another officer,

05:13saw the shooter, and radioed that he was armed with, quote, a long gun.

05:18Within approximately the next 30 seconds, the shots were fired.

05:23The evidence recovery team found eight shell casings

05:26at the scene next to the shooter's body.

05:29We believe the subject, the shooter, fired eight rounds.

05:33While the investigation has not determined motive,

05:36the investigative team continues to review information from legal returns,

05:40including online and social media accounts.

05:44Something just very recently uncovered that I want to share

05:47is a social media account which is believed to be associated with the shooter

05:52in about the 2019-2020 time frame.

05:55There were over 700 comments posted from this account.

05:59Some of these comments, if ultimately attributable to the shooter,

06:03appear to reflect anti-Semitic and anti-immigration themes

06:07to espouse political violence and are described as extreme in nature.

06:13While the investigative team is still working to verify this account

06:16to determine if it did, in fact, belong to the shooter,

06:19we believe it important to share and note it today,

06:22particularly given the general absence of other information

06:25from social media and other sources of information

06:28that reflect on the shooter's potential motive and mindset.

06:33These are the facts, in part, that the investigation has revealed to date.

06:37While the shooter is dead, our work is very much ongoing and urgent.

06:43Thank you, and I look forward to answering any and all questions.

06:47Thank you, Mr. Abate.

06:49We'll now proceed to Chairman Durbin and Ranking Member Graham

06:52will ask the first two questions.

06:54I will then ask Question Ranking Member Paul,

06:56and then after that we will alternate between members of the Judiciary,

07:00recognized by Chairman Durbin,

07:02and members of the Homeland Security Committee, recognized by me.

07:05With that, Senator Durbin, you're recognized.

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