by WorldTribune Staff, August 19, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
The FBI is denying that it obstructed the investigation into the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump by quickly releasing the body of gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks for cremation.
Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, who is part of a bipartisan congressional task force investigating the assassination attempt, said the FBI is conducting a “scorched earth” investigation of the July 13 shooting at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. His report also challenges the FBI's handling of other critical evidence in an assassination attempt that was seen by viewers worldwide.
Higgins, who is also a former police captain, attempted to view Crooks' body as part of a personal inspection. However, he discovered that the FBI had already released the body for cremation just 10 days after the shooting. In his preliminary report, Higgins said that Crooks was cremated on July 23.
"My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact . . . the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after J13 [July 13]," Higgins writes in the report.
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"Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement, Sheriff, etc," Higgins writes. "Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI."
An FBI spokesperson told Fox News Digital that any suggestion the bureau is interfering with congressional efforts to investigate the attempted assassination "is inaccurate and unfounded."
The agency said that Crooks' body was released to his family after coordination with the coroner's office as well as state and local law enforcement partners "in keeping with normal procedures."
Higgins doubled down on his claims late Friday in a statement to Fox News Digital:
"My report states the precise truth, which is that the coroner released Crooks' body to the family for cremation only after the FBI had specifically authorized the coroner to release Crooks' body to the family for cremation."
By releasing the body, Higgins said the FBI ensured that he won’t know for sure if the coroner’s report and the autopsy report are accurate.
"We will actually never know. Yes, we’ll get the reports and pictures, etc., but I will not ever be able to say with certainty that those reports and pictures are accurate according to my own examination of the body," Higgins said.
Higgins also slammed the FBI for releasing the crime scene after three days, "much to everyone’s surprise."
"They had to know that releasing the J13 crime scene would injure the immediate observations of any following investigation," Higgins writes in his preliminary report.
Higgins also alleges that the FBI cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene, which he says is "unheard of. Cops don’t do that, ever."
The FBI told Fox News Digital that the crime scene was released to the property owners in phases and that "nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation."
Other points in the report by Higgins:
• Crooks did not have a ladder at AGR on J13. He accessed the roof by climbing onto an air conditioning unit. I reenacted his climb with no problem.
• 8 shots were fired by Crooks from his firing (and dying) position on the AGR rooftop. The position provided excellent concealment for Crooks from the northern counter-sniper team due to the foliage/branches of two trees. Crooks’ firing position did NOT offer excellent concealment from the southern counter-sniper team. However, it should be noted that the would-be assassin perfectly positioned himself to minimize the threat of counter-fire from the ground or the USSS counter-sniper teams. Crooks’ firing position was also several feet back from the actual peak of the AGR rooftop. By choosing this position, Crooks effectively minimized the sky-lined profile of his head and upper body.
• All 8 casings were recovered and are allegedly in proper possession of the FBI. Thomas Matthew Crooks’ rifle is also allegedly in the proper possession of the FBI. I will need to examine all of the physical evidence that has been harvested by law enforcement and is in the possession of the FBI. All of it.
• The 9th shot fired on J13 was from a Butler SWAT operator from the ground about 100 yards away from the AGR building. Shot 9 hit Crooks’ rifle stock and fragged his face/neck/right shoulder area from the stock breaking up. The SWAT operator who took this shot was a total badass; when he had sighted the shooter Crooks as a mostly obscured by foliage moving target on the AGR rooftop, he immediately left his assigned post and ran towards the threat, running to a clear shot position directly into the line of fire while Crooks was firing 8 rounds. On his own, this ESU SWAT operator took a very hard shot, one shot. He stopped Crooks and importantly, I believe the shot damaged the buffer tube on Crooks’ AR. I won’t be certain of this until I can examine Crooks’ rifle, but I’m 99% sure, based upon reliable eye-witness ESU tactical officers who observed Crooks’ rifle before the FBI harvested it as evidence. This means that if his AR buffer tube was damaged, Crooks’ rifle wouldn’t fire after his 8th shot.
• Crooks “went down” from his firing position when shot 9 was fired, and the SWAT officer was certain of his hit. According to the ESU SWAT operator, Crooks recovered after just a few seconds, and “popped back up”.
• The 10th (and, I believe, final) shot was fired from the southern counter-sniper team. I will not be 100% certain of this until further investigation. However, I am quite sure that the USSS southern counter-sniper team fired the killing shot, which, according to my investigation, entered somewhere around the left mouth area and exited the right ear area. Instant over. This entry-exit aligns with USSS southern counter-sniper team position.
• USSS did not retrieve the radios that had been set aside for them by Butler County tactical command. The radio comms were properly and perfectly arranged during the extensive pre-mission planning. On J12, the Butler County ESU Commander personally reminded the USSS counter-sniper teams to pick up their assigned radios at the ESU Command Post RV, which was positioned according to planning at the Butler Fairgrounds, the following morning before 1100 hrs. It didn’t happen.
• There are videos circulating on the internet that appear to show a “muzzle flash” from inside the AGR building, from the window below Crooks’ firing position on the roof of the AGR building. I carefully examined this window inside and out, and I interviewed the AGR employee who has worked in that small office area for many years. That window does not open and has never opened. The “muzzle flash” from inside that window was either a digital fabrication or an iPhone light or iPhone camera flash reflected from the glass of the widow.
