BUTLER, PA - An exclusive report from the DailyMail states that the parents of the gunman who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump have hired a team of high-profile lawyers as the FBI continues to investigate exactly how much they knew ahead of their son's violent actions.
This new development comes as a family member of Thomas Crooks shared with the DailyMail that the FBI "still very much has questions" regarding how much the gunman's parents knew. That same family member also revealed that the father, 53-year-old Matthew Crooks is a gun enthusiast who has sold firearms to relatives in the past.
The family member, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity said, "The FBI still very much has questions about how much they knew and how he [Thomas] slipped through the net." On Thursday, August 22nd, Florida U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz said that he questioned whether the 20-year-old acted alone that day. Speaking with the DailyMail, Waltz said that he is worried a foreign entity or other third-party could have been involved in the attack.
His comments came after it was revealed that Iran was also plotting an attempt on the former president's life around the same time that Crooks carried out his plan.
Waltz added, "The more we get into it, the more questions I have. It's really what's coming out around it that is so disturbing. And for me, the thing that's most disturbing is that we have ongoing plots from Iran to take out a former president, leading candidate, and that a Pakistani national was just arrested after making a down payment for hitmen, and it's barely even being covered in the news."
The lawyers that Crooks' parents chose suggest that they are bracing for possible criminal charges as well as potential civil action from the families of their son's other victims. Quinn Logue, the Pittsburgh-based law firm that the Crooks have retained, describe themselves as trial attorneys who specialize in both criminal defense and civil suits including wrongful death and personal injury.
Founding attorneys John Quinn and Matthew Logue have both been recognized among the "Top 50 Lawyers in Pittsburgh" and the firm consistently appears in publications such as Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Troubling details have emerged since the attempted assassination that happened six weeks ago at Trump's rally on July 13th. The shooting is also being investigated by a House task force consisting of 12 lawmakers.
Among those are Waltz, who says he is not convinced that Crooks acted alone. The Republican lawmaker pointed to the FBI's failure to answer other questions like why Crooks had foreign encrypted messaging accounts. He also noted the fact that Crooks was able to create multiple explosives with remote detonators, another thing that raised Waltz's eyebrows.
He said, "You can't tell us his motive, but you could tell us he operated alone? You can't get into these encrypted overseas accounts, but you can tell us he acted alone? So, I don't buy that yet." According to reports, Crooks' parents had attempted to reach their son when they could not find him earlier that day, but he did not respond. The parents then called law enforcement to tell them that their son was missing. It is unknown whether they were aware that he was armed.
According to the relative who spoke with DailyMail, guns were very much a part of the Crooks household. The individual revealed that the family "didn't really take part in family holidays or gatherings, but that Crooks' father is a gun enthusiast who had sold guns to other family members in the past." Crooks left his home on the day of the rally armed with an AR-15 style rifle that was bough legally by his father in 2013 and transferred to him in 2023.
He was an enthusiastic member of Clariton Sportsmen's Club, which he visited the day before the incident to practice on the rifle range which officers high powered rifle benches with targets up to 187 yards — roughly the same distance Crooks was from Trump when he shot him. Immediately following the attack, the FBI removed 14 firearms from the small family home as well as explosives, a second cellphone, a laptop, and a hard drive.
In April, Crooks reportedly searched websites for information on major depressive disorder and depressive crisis treatment. Shortly after the shooting, a family member told the DailyMail that they had been aware of a decline in Crooks' mental health over recent years and assumed he was either bi-polar or schizophrenic.
This new development comes as a family member of Thomas Crooks shared with the DailyMail that the FBI "still very much has questions" regarding how much the gunman's parents knew. That same family member also revealed that the father, 53-year-old Matthew Crooks is a gun enthusiast who has sold firearms to relatives in the past.
The family member, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity said, "The FBI still very much has questions about how much they knew and how he [Thomas] slipped through the net." On Thursday, August 22nd, Florida U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz said that he questioned whether the 20-year-old acted alone that day. Speaking with the DailyMail, Waltz said that he is worried a foreign entity or other third-party could have been involved in the attack.
His comments came after it was revealed that Iran was also plotting an attempt on the former president's life around the same time that Crooks carried out his plan.
Waltz added, "The more we get into it, the more questions I have. It's really what's coming out around it that is so disturbing. And for me, the thing that's most disturbing is that we have ongoing plots from Iran to take out a former president, leading candidate, and that a Pakistani national was just arrested after making a down payment for hitmen, and it's barely even being covered in the news."
The lawyers that Crooks' parents chose suggest that they are bracing for possible criminal charges as well as potential civil action from the families of their son's other victims. Quinn Logue, the Pittsburgh-based law firm that the Crooks have retained, describe themselves as trial attorneys who specialize in both criminal defense and civil suits including wrongful death and personal injury.
Founding attorneys John Quinn and Matthew Logue have both been recognized among the "Top 50 Lawyers in Pittsburgh" and the firm consistently appears in publications such as Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America. Troubling details have emerged since the attempted assassination that happened six weeks ago at Trump's rally on July 13th. The shooting is also being investigated by a House task force consisting of 12 lawmakers.
Among those are Waltz, who says he is not convinced that Crooks acted alone. The Republican lawmaker pointed to the FBI's failure to answer other questions like why Crooks had foreign encrypted messaging accounts. He also noted the fact that Crooks was able to create multiple explosives with remote detonators, another thing that raised Waltz's eyebrows.
He said, "You can't tell us his motive, but you could tell us he operated alone? You can't get into these encrypted overseas accounts, but you can tell us he acted alone? So, I don't buy that yet." According to reports, Crooks' parents had attempted to reach their son when they could not find him earlier that day, but he did not respond. The parents then called law enforcement to tell them that their son was missing. It is unknown whether they were aware that he was armed.
According to the relative who spoke with DailyMail, guns were very much a part of the Crooks household. The individual revealed that the family "didn't really take part in family holidays or gatherings, but that Crooks' father is a gun enthusiast who had sold guns to other family members in the past." Crooks left his home on the day of the rally armed with an AR-15 style rifle that was bough legally by his father in 2013 and transferred to him in 2023.
He was an enthusiastic member of Clariton Sportsmen's Club, which he visited the day before the incident to practice on the rifle range which officers high powered rifle benches with targets up to 187 yards — roughly the same distance Crooks was from Trump when he shot him. Immediately following the attack, the FBI removed 14 firearms from the small family home as well as explosives, a second cellphone, a laptop, and a hard drive.
In April, Crooks reportedly searched websites for information on major depressive disorder and depressive crisis treatment. Shortly after the shooting, a family member told the DailyMail that they had been aware of a decline in Crooks' mental health over recent years and assumed he was either bi-polar or schizophrenic.
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Comments
2024-08-31T18:05-0500 | Comment by: Bud
The FBI is part of this story, a person with either bi-polar or schizophrenic does not, nor can accomplish this event with out direction. Anyone trained with the ability to participate as a sniper on a roof for a high profile target, would need experienced training. This is the plan "B" scenario like the pipe bombs in DC on January 6th.