It's been over a week since 26-year-old Luigi Mangione allegedly murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside of a Hilton hotel in the middle of Manhattan.
Within hours of his arrest, which occurred at a Pennsylvania McDonald's, we knew a lot about him. He went to an Ivy League college. He comes from a wealthy, Italian immigrant family. He wrote a manifesto about "parasites" in the healthcare industry. We know about his health history and details of a severe back injury, including an x-ray. Heck, we even have photos of the man with his shirt off, hiking in Hawaii.
All of this information dropped at the same time as the congressional Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump released its final report on the investigation into the attempted murder of the former president on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania.
"I am honored Speaker Johnson trusted me to serve on this Task Force to uncover the facts, identify operational failures, and restore public trust in response to two attempts on President Trump's life. What we uncovered in our efforts was nothing short of catastrophic security failures," Congressman Dave Joyce released in a statement about the findings.
"There was no one singular issue that contributed to this incident in July, but rather a string of missteps that led to the United States Secret Service unsuccessfully upholding their no-fail mission. The most glaring flaws were the ineffective advance planning in the days leading up to the incident and poor communication between the Secret Service and local and state law enforcement," he continued. "My hope is that this report delivers Americans the answers they deserve and serves as an important step towards change. When it comes to protecting our democracy and national security, we have a duty to act. With the official publishing of the report, I can assure you that Congress will work with the United States Secret Service to implement necessary structural and operational reforms that will protect our nation and its citizens."
The report spans more than 400 pages, focuses on Secret Service failures, calls for accountability, and yet, there's a glaring omission.
"The Task Force found that the tragic and shocking events in Butler, Pennsylvania were preventable and should not have happened. There was not, however, a singular moment or decision that allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to nearly assassinate the former President. The various failures in planning, execution, and leadership on and before July 13, 2024, and the preexisting conditions that undermined the effectiveness of the human and material assets deployed that day, coalesced to create an environment in which the former President—and everyone at the campaign event—were exposed to grave danger," the investigation found. "The Task Force identified several decision points that, if handled differently, could have prevented Crooks from firing eight shots at the Butler rally stage."
Who is Thomas Matthew Crooks? The man who shot Trump, attempting to end his life. How is it we still know so little about the man who tried to kill the former president of the United States? Especially when the Secret Service was tasked with preventing another attempt?
The report explains the kinds of weapons he had, including IEDs confiscated from his bedroom and located in his father's home. It also details the extensive movements Crooks was allowed to make that day, ultimately ending up on an unsecured rooftop where he took his shots, killing 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and injuring two other Trump rallygoers. Important facts, but not nearly enough.
"The shooter had three encrypted accounts overseas at the same time we're having an Iranian plot," Republican Congressman Michael Waltz told Fox News in July.
"Clearly, he was training, he was preparing. What we can't get a straight answer from the FBI on is, you know he built three IEDs with remote detonators, but what we can't get a straight answer is, what radicalized him? What drove the motives?" Waltz followed up in September.
Now that Trump is president-elect, we still have very little information about Crooks, his motive, the background of his family, the foreign encryptions on his phone and much more. Why is that? Who was he? Who did he know? Crooks was neutralized by the Secret Service, so he's unavailable for questioning or a trial, but the American people and President-elect Trump still deserve answers. The Republican Congress should continue to press the FBI for accountability and information.
