Latest news with #ThomasCrooks
NDTV
23-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Trump Is Asked Why "Kiss Cam" Couple More Famous Than His Would-Be Assassin
Washington: US President Donald Trump said that investigating agencies have found nothing "abnormal" about the man who attempted to assassinate him a year ago. The President was answering a reporter who asked him why people know more about two people at a Coldplay concert last week than about the background of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at him during an election rally in Pennsylvania last July. The reporter was referring to the incident last Thursday, when a 'kiss cam' caught Astronomer's married CEO Andy Byron embracing the company's head of human resources, Kristin Cabot. As the camera focused on them, both attempted to hide, while Coldplay frontman Chris Martin exclaimed, "Either they're having an affair or they're very shy!" "I find it a very interesting world that we know more about two people at a Coldplay concert just hours after that viral video than we know of Thomas Crooks one year after attempting to assassinate you. What is holding back the investigation on Thomas Crooks?" Trump was asked at a press meeting with the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in DC on Tuesday. The Republican said he appreciated the US Secret Service for their quick action at the time and said that investigators did not find anything "abnormal" with the attacker. President Trump responds to reporter's question: "We know more about two people at a Coldplay concert, just hours after that viral video, than we know about Thomas Crooks — one year attempting to assassinate you. What is holding back the investigation on Thomas Crooks?" — Fox News (@FoxNews) July 22, 2025 "They've told me things, and they really say they haven't found anything that abnormal," Trump said. "I would say this, the Secret Service was very brave because they, you know, they were right there and they jumped on me. They made a mistake. They should have had somebody on that roof, and they should've had communication with the local police, who also, I mean, they did a very good job, but they made some mistakes," he added. Perched at the roof of a building near Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Crooks has fired eight rounds at the then Republican presidential candidate. One bullet scratched Trump's ear, while a rally attendee was killed by another. Crooks, 20, was killed by a counter-secret service sniper. Trump called Crook "just a nut-job looking to do this." "Look, anything can happen, but I think we have the best people anywhere in the world right now. I think they've learned," he added. US probe agencies have found that Crooks, who worked at a local nursing home, had an associate degree in engineering science and was a member of a shooting club for at least a year.
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Why is more known about Coldplay 'kiss-cam couple' than Trump shooter? US President responds
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday addressed the investigation progress into last year's assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, after a reporter questioned the lack of public information about the shooter. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The reporter drew a parallel to the recent Coldplay concert kiss-cam controversy, noting that within hours, the identities and details of a CEO and HR executive involved went viral- while over a year later, little is known about the would-be assassin. Trump claimed that federal investigators have found 'nothing abnormal' in their probe of shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, and that the incident was the result of a lone 'nut job' acting alone. The US President was responding to the question asked- "We know more about two people at a Coldplay concert, just hours after that viral video, than we know about Thomas Crooks — one year attempting to assassinate you. What is holding back the investigation on Thomas Crooks?" In response Trump said, "Well, they've reported to me and they've told me things, and they really say they haven't found anything that was abnormal." 'They say that it was just a nut job that was looking to do this," he further said, adding that the Secret Service and FBI 'went into him in great detail' and fully briefed him. 'They gave me the whole thing, and what can I do?' While Trump commended agents and officers for their bravery during the attack- recalling how they 'jumped on me' during the chaos - he also pointed to key security failures. 'The Secret Service was very brave because they, you know, they were right there and they jumped on me. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They made a mistake. They should have had somebody on that roof, and they should have had communication with the local police, who also. I mean, they did a very good job, but they made some mistakes,' he said, referring to the sniper's vantage point that allowed Crooks to fatally shoot one rallygoer and injure Trump before being killed by law enforcement. Trump also used the opportunity to draw a distinction between what he called the 'new FBI' and the agency's leadership under former Director James Comey. 'If it was the old FBI, I wouldn't have believed a thing they said, because the old FBI under Comey was crooked as hell,' he said. Trump insisted that security had since been overhauled: 'We have a whole different group of people now… I think we have the best people anywhere in the world right now. And I think they've learned.' This comes as many critics argue that despite the alarming nature of Crooks' actions, the media has failed to give the story the sustained attention. As the first serious attempt on a US presidential candidate's life since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981, Crooks case remains one of the most troubling and under-scrutinised political events in recent American history, they claim with going as far as to suggest some conspiracy in play. What is known about Thomas Crooks so far? Authorities identified 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the individual behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Butler last year. Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents moments after he allegedly opened fire at the stage where Trump was speaking. Crooks graduated from Bethel Park High School in 2022, where he received a $500 'Star Award' from the National Math and Science Initiative, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. However, Crooks' time in high school was also marked by isolation and erratic behavior. Classmates described him as a loner who often wore hunting gear to school and made disturbing remarks. Reports suggested he had tried and failed to join the school's rifle team due to his poor marksmanship, according to the NY Post. 'He was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day,' said Jameson Murphy, a former classmate. Another added, 'He couldn't shoot at all. He was a terrible shot.'
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
How Was Thomas Crooks Able To Escape The Surveillance State? (ft. Wade Stotts)
Story #1: How was attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks able to escape the surveillance state that has information on everyone? Will revisits his conversations with Mike Benz and Jason Chaffetz on yesterday's 'The Will Cain Show' and realizes there's a question that few are asking. Story #2: The Host of 'The Wade Show with Wade,' Wade Stotts joins Will to discuss the rise of the new Minneapolis Mamdani, Omar Fateh, the remittance problem in America, and picking apart Vice President J.D. Vance's 'dad run' and Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D-CA) odd hand movements on the 'Shawn Ryan Show.' Story #3: Despite no changes to the 'Jim Crow 2.0' election laws that saw Major League Baseball take away the All-Star Game from Atlanta, Will asks why no one is holding people accountable for their faux outrage four years ago? Plus, Two-A-Dayz give his review of one of Will's sports movie favorites, 'Days Of Thunder.' Subscribe to 'Will Cain Country' on YouTube here: Watch Will Cain Country! Follow Will on X: @WillCain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service
One year after Corey Comperatore was killed at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, his widow is demanding accountability from the Secret Service. "We were all sitting ducks that day. Our blood is all over their hands. I am angry. I lost the love of my life. They screwed up," Helen Comperatore told Fox News. The Secret Service has admitted to multiple failures after 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks climbed onto a rooftop and fired off eight rounds. Those shots killed Comperatore and wounded three others, including then-former President Donald Trump. "Why Butler? Why was that such a failure? Why weren't they paying attention? Why did they think that that roof didn't need covered? I want to sit down and talk to them. I have the right to. They need to listen to me," Comperatore said. TRUMP CHIEF OF STAFF SUSIE WILES RECOUNTS BUTLER ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, THOUGHT PRESIDENT WAS DEAD AT FIRST WATCH: FOX NATION'S 'BUTLER UNDER FIRE: THE SEARCH FOR JUSTICE' Police say Crooks fired those gunshots. Investigators say the once-shy college student planned the attack for days, stockpiling weapons and making explosives in his bedroom. "If you could talk to Thomas Crooks' parents, what would you tell them?" Fox News Correspondent Alexis McAdams asked Helen Comperatore. JOURNALIST WHO REFUSED TO DUCK DURING TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT REFLECTS ON BUTLER RALLY IN NEW BOOK "Why would you not go in there and look in his room and say…you know what son, you need help," Comperatore said. Trump said there will be a comprehensive report made about the assassination attempt, though it is unclear when that will be made public. FOX NATION REVEALS NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE FROM TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT IN BUTLER CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay or benefits on Wednesday in the wake of the shooting, the agency confirmed.
Fox News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Secret Service suspends 6 agents tasked with protecting Trump during July 2024 assassination attempt
Six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay following a gunman's attempt to take President Donald Trump's life at a Pennsylvania rally last July, the agency confirmed to Fox News. The suspensions affected supervisors and line-level agents, and ranged from 10 to 42 days without pay. The disciplinary action took place in February, the Secret Service said, which confirmed the news because a Senate report on the failures in Butler, Pennsylvania, is set to be released any day. No agents were fired, as the Secret Service told Fox News that the entire agency failed, rather than individuals. Matt Quinn, the agency's deputy director, told CBS News on Wednesday that they "weren't going to fire [their] way out of this," but did say they are "laser focused on fixing the root cause of the problem." Quinn told the outlet that those who were suspended were placed in restricted roles with less responsibility once they returned to the job. He said the disciplinary actions were in accordance with a federally mandated process. The agency faced heavy criticism following the security failure, which allowed gunman Thomas Crooks to open fire on the rally's stage in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, was killed while Trump's ear was grazed by a bullet and two other men were injured by gunfire. Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper. "Secret Service is totally accountable for Butler," Quinn said to CBS. "Butler was an operational failure and we are focused today on ensuring that it never happens again." He also said the agency is focusing on the "root cause" of the operational failure and fixing "the deficiencies that put us in that situation." Since the Butler rally, Quinn said the Secret Service has introduced a new fleet of military-grade drones and mobile command posts to improve radio communications with local law enforcement. The agency faced more criticism weeks later when a second assassination attempt on Trump took place in West Palm Beach, Florida. Though it was stopped, then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned and the agency underwent several investigations and congressional hearings. A bipartisan House task force released a 180-page report in December stating that the incident in Butler was "preventable," citing "preexisting" leadership and training issues that "created an environment" where security failures were possible. In the report, lawmakers also pointed out that the Secret Service did not coordinate or plan well with local law enforcement.
