The FBI shared initial investigative details on the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Butler, Pa., naming the suspect involved but offering no other details.
Authorities said Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pa., was involved.
“This remains an active and ongoing investigation,” the FBI said.
Trump posted to social media earlier Saturday that his ear was “pierced” by a bullet in the shooting, around 6:15 p.m. He left Pennsylvania by 11 p.m., according to a post by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
President Biden spoke with Trump after the incident. The president, who was in Delaware, returned to the White House late Saturday.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said late Saturday that the Justice Department was working with various law enforcement agencies in the aftermath of the Trump rally shooting. Garland offered his support to Trump and others who were injured in the incident, as well as the shooter’s family.
“We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy. The Justice Department will bring every available resource to bear to this investigation.”
The scene at a rally in Butler, Pa., echoed around the world in an instant. It will be replayed for days, weeks, and years to come.
The difference of just an inch or two might have protected Trump from a far worse tragedy.
The attack on Trump was condemned instantly by politicians of all ideological hues.
But if there was near-unanimity in the condemnation of the act itself, there were also instant signs of fraying around the edges.
The Hill
