Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who tried to assassinate Donald Trump last Saturday, was possibly considering both the former president and Joe Biden as targets, according to FBI officials who briefed members of Congress in wake of the attack.
Sources who participated in a conference call with lawmakers told The New York Times that the FBI searched through the browsing history on Crooks’ laptop and two phones, among other devices, uncovering web searches related to the two candidates and signaling concerns about his own mental state. At one point, Crooks searched “major depressive disorder” on one of his cellphones.
Crooks also appeared to preview his attack on Steam, a gaming platform, announcing that he would make his “premiere” on July 13, the day of the assassination attempt. Still, the officials said that they could find no criminal history, connections with a larger conspiracy or foreign actors, easily discernible political beliefs or any clear motive for shooting Trump. Crooks donated $15 to a liberal organization on Inauguration Day in 2021, but registered as a Republican later that year and remained as one until he was shot down by Secret Service snipers.
Former classmates of Crooks have filled in some of the gaps. Many of them said that he never expressed any political ideology, with one of them, Vincent Taormina, testifying that he held both parties in equal disdain. In seventh grade, Taormina recalled, Crooks questioned why Taormina, a Latino, would support Trump.
“He says, ‘Aren’t you Hispanic? And you like Trump?’” Mr. Taormina said. “He said, ‘That’s a little stupid.’”
Other classmates have said that Crooks wore Trump-supportive clothing or apparel. “He definitely was conservative,” said Max R. Smith, who took a history class with Crooks in high school. “It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate.”
FBI officials suggested that, based on his search history, Crooks was interested in famous people across the political spectrum. In addition to Trump and Biden, Crooks looked up FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland and a member of the British royal family.