New revelations deepen intrigue in failed Trump assassination plot

The echoes of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which took place on 18 July during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, have not died down. The former President of the USA and Republican candidate in the upcoming elections was shot in the ear during his speech. Since then, he has publicly appeared with a bandage. As a result of this event, on Tuesday, Secret Service Chief Kimberly Cheatle resigned.

The perpetrator of the attack was 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired from a distance of 135 metres.

Now, new facts about him are coming to light, as presented on Wednesday during a hearing in Congress by FBI Director Chris Wray. Before the attack, Crooks searched the internet for information on the methods of Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin of President John F. Kennedy.

New information about Thomas Matthew Crooks sheds additional light on the preparations for the attack.

On July 6, he did a Google search for: ‘how far away was Oswald from Kennedy' — Wray announced before the House Judiciary Committee.

Additionally, a few hours before the attack, the 20-year-old released a drone that hovered about 180 metres from the stage and allowed him to observe its surroundings. The device and its controller were later found in the attacker’s car.

The Associated Press reminds us that although Wray — the FBI Director — was appointed to his position by Trump, he is treated rather harshly by Republicans involved in the Congressional investigation into the attack.

Trump supporters have not trusted the FBI since the Bureau investigated the connections between people in the former president’s circle and Russia and its interference in the 2016 US election campaign.