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As the one-year mark nears since the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, questions remain unanswered; notably, why did Thomas Matthew Crooks carry out the attack, and how did he get so close?
Despite the year’s passage, the mystery endures surrounding the 20-year-old Pennsylvania native’s motivation. Fox News Digital spoke with two former federal officials about the lingering questions.
Former FBI agent John Nantz said Crooks did not fit the profile of a politically motivated extremist.
“Crooks looked not so much like an ideologue, not so much like an individual who was being directed in some way to conduct an assassination attempt, but more like a person with anti-social issues that may have been seeking notoriety,” Nantz told Fox News Digital.
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Thomas Matthew Crooks was a 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a 2024 campaign rally before being shot and killed by Secret Service agents. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
One year later: Lingering questions about Crooks’ motive
While investigators have not identified a definitive ideological or political motivation, the FBI has suggested a complex interplay of personal grievances, mental health issues and a desire for notoriety to lead to the attack.
From an investigative perspective, Nantz explained that establishing motive in the absence of a confession or manifesto relies heavily on digital footprints and personal interviews.
“Whoever the suspect might be, some of your best information comes from people who knew them and what they’ve left behind. Now that everybody’s kind of self-reporting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I think it’s much easier to figure out: is this individual suffering from mental illness or ideologically motivated?”
Former U.S. Secret Service (USSS) agent and special agent with the Department of Homeland Security Charles Marino echoed Nantz’s sentiments.
“Had they had the opportunity to interview Crooks ahead of time, I think they would have identified that he presented a very real threat — based on his ability to formulate this plan of attack. He had access to weapons, money and the means to travel,” Marino said.
“This is everything that we look at when we try and pinpoint whether or not somebody presents a threat or not,” he said.
Undated file photo of Thomas Matthew Crooks. Crooks tried to assassinate President Donald Trump in Butler, Penn. on Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Digital clues and behavioral red flags
Following the fateful July 13, 2024, attack – which claimed the life of 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore and injured Trump and rally attendees David Dutch and James Copenhaver – Crooks’ past was thoroughly vetted by federal investigators.
Fox News Digital previously reported on Crooks’ lack of friendships and high school classmates who said that the Bethel Park, Penn. native was bullied throughout school.
Nantz pointed to Crooks’ upbringing and family background as key pieces of the puzzle.
“One thing I thought was interesting — they said he didn’t have friends,” Nantz said. “Why that wasn’t a red flag for them from the very beginning is a question. I’m a parent. Any parent can tell you that if your child does not have friends, that’s going to be a big concern. And the fact that his parents were both certified counselors raises questions about the level of their engagement.”
Debunking conspiracy theories
In the advent of the July 13 attack, theories swirled around about a large-scale inside job and foreign bad actors’ intent on influencing the 2024 election.
“That’s the danger of lone wolves, according to the definition, they’re not talking about this with anybody else, right? They’re not sharing information about their plans. That’s what appears happened here with Crooks,” Marino said.
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The FBI and Secret Service have found no evidence of external direction or conspiracy.
“I think the way this conspiracy talk originated was upon the discovery of the multiple [numbers] on his phone. And so that raised some curiosity about possible international interactions,” he said. “I can tell you that all of that was investigated. I’m not certain of all of the outcomes.”
“As far as the conspiracies, I know right now it just seems like a total failure to mitigate what was a single threat,” he added.
SEE IT: Animation illustrates where would-be assassin stood when Trump was shot
Anatomy of a security breakdown
The July 13 attack will long be remembered not just for how close it came to altering American history, but also for how many systemic flaws it exposed.
Marino characterized it as a “catastrophic failure of the overall security plan.”
According to Marino, the tragedy unfolded due to a breakdown at every level of the protective system that should have prevented Crooks from ascending a water tower with a clear line of sight to the president.
“This requires a layered approach to security, and it requires three strong perimeters — an outer perimeter, middle, and inner. And we saw complete failure that then exposed other problems in other areas like communication regarding spotting the suspect very early on in the day, all the way down to the communication with the response,” Marino explained to Fox News Digital.
“That building where Crooks got to the top of the roof wasn’t clear, apparently, to Secret Service. It wasn’t clear to local law enforcement. And it slipped through the cracks.”
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Along with a breakdown of a multilayered approach to security, Marino said that Trump’s team should have been granted additional support – a decision that was denied from the top of the agency.
“The Secret Service needs to keep the main thing the main thing. And what they need to do is they need to staff accordingly to the threat level. And that’s the global threat level, the threat level here domestically, all the way down to the individual. And the fact of the matter was, they didn’t do that,” he said.
WATCH: Former Secret Service agent says Trump rally security was ‘catastrophic failure’
Marino said that there was “no reason” why Trump, on July 13, should not have had a full team of Secret Service counter-snipers, counter-assault team members and more agents posted at the Butler Fair grounds.
Along with personnel, Marino pointed to the need to take advantage of technology.
“It comes in the form of matching the threat with manpower, with technology. Why was there not greater use and implementation of Secret Service technology that was running and operational?”
President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker)
Aftermath and accountability – A new Secret Service
The breakdown on July 13 led to bipartisan calls for then-USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. After her resignation, Ronald Rowe Jr., who was serving as the deputy director, was appointed as the acting director.
He held the position until Jan. 22, when Sean Curran, a veteran agent who had been part of Trump’s protective detail during the assassination attempt, was appointed as the 28th director of the USSS.
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“Now, the Secret Service also has new leadership. And this is a big part of the success of the agency. You need leaders that are trusted — and as I said, that are going to make the safety and security of those they protect the priority,” Marino said. “And they have that leadership now. I’m confident in that leadership.”