Full Breakdown
Former Trump Rally Assassin Used “Bob Dole” Alias, FBI Files Reveal
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: July 13, 2024 Butler Rally Shooting
On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania, opened fire at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. He killed one bystander and seriously wounded two others before Secret Service agents shot him dead. Federal documents note that the attack was a surprise to his family and that his motive remains unknown.
Background & Preparation
Investigators learned that Crooks ordered a large number of online packages under the pseudonym “Bob Dole” to conceal his purchase history. His father, Matthew Crooks, told FBI agents that the alias was adopted after the family’s checking account was hacked. The younger Crooks instructed his father on using a virtual-private network and a privacy-focused browser, citing platforms such as Cyber Ghost VPN and BraveNet as less likely to be compromised.
Digital Footprint & Investigation Findings
AP Bureau officials reported that Crooks maintained at least 35 digital accounts, including several foreign-based email addresses in Germany and Belgium, all of which agents accessed. FBI Director Kash Patel later concluded that the investigation found no foreign nexus for the assassination attempt. The same files note that Crooks’ online profile on a fan-art site used the handle “epicmicrowave,” an outlier compared with his political alias.
Official Responses
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) obtained the FBI documents as part of a Senate probe into the Butler shooting. He has scheduled testimony from Director Patel to address the case. The records also indicate that an anonymous donor paid for Crooks’ cremation shortly after his death, a detail revealed in the federal files.
Impact & Ongoing Inquiry
The Butler incident has prompted a congressional investigation into security lapses and the radicalization of young individuals. While investigators have clarified that no foreign actors were involved, the motive behind Crooks’ actions remains unresolved, and the Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to continue hearings to assess gaps in threat detection and response.