Classmate of Would-Be Assassin Says He Was a 'Known Trump Hater,' but Feds Don't Know Motive

This post has been updated. 

Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel, Pennsylvania, tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump on July 13 at his rally in Butler. He scaled a roof less than 200 yards from the stage where Trump delivered remarks to supporters. He clipped Trump’s ear to fire a fatal headshot, which was missed by mere millimeters. Despite being flagged as a security vulnerability, the Secret Service never swept this building. To make matters worse, snipers were in the adjacent building and did nothing. The other Secret Service sniper team had their sights on Crooks for two minutes before he opened fire. It’s a security failure of epic proportions, one that deserves answers. The Secret Service also knew there was a threat to Trump 10 minutes before he took the stage but allowed him to proceed anyway.

For now, the Secret Service is silent, and we’re left with the usual narrative from a politicized federal law enforcement apparatus that doesn’t want to appear to be giving Trump a leg up in the election: the motive is unknown at this time. Well, a reported classmate of Crooks said that the would-be assassin, who was shot and killed by federal agents, was a “known Trump hater.” 

JUST IN: Former Thomas Crooks classmate says Crooks was a known Trump hater and was a "know it all."

The FBI still doesn’t know what Crooks' motive could have been.

Hispanic classmate Vincent Taormina recalled a political disagreement he had with Crooks after he told him that… pic.twitter.com/LzgnohInnw

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 17, 2024

Vincent Taormina said that he “brought up the fact that I'm Hispanic and I'm for Trump." 

Crooks replied, “Well, you're Hispanic, so shouldn't you hate Trump?'" 

Taormina added that Crooks "insinuated that I was stupid." 

🚨NEWS: Fox has learned that Senators were told in the all-member briefing today that Thomas Crooks wrote on a gaming platform called ‘Steam’, “July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds”

When investigators reviewed the laptop, they found a few searches in July of: Trump,…

— Jacqui Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 18, 2024

Yet, the FBI doesn’t know the motive. Fox News Jacqui Heinrich tweeted last night, “When investigators reviewed the laptop, they found a few searches in July of Trump, Biden, when is DNC convention, and July 13 Trump rally. Investigators have found no evidence of a particular ideology, which the FBI believes is notable, and nobody in interviews reported Crooks discussing politics.” 

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It’s becoming increasingly clear that Trump’s Secret Service detail knew that there was a credible threat to his life well before the rally started yet allowed him to take the stage anyway.

The question is… why?

— Greg Price (@greg_price11) July 18, 2024

“One local police officer climbed to the roof and encountered Crooks, who pointed his rifle at the officer. The officer retreated down the ladder, and Crooks quickly took a shot toward Trump, and that’s when Secret Service snipers shot him”https://t.co/LRq8wm3CU1

— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) July 14, 2024

I think the ideology is ‘hate Trump,’ no? The excuses for why there weren't sniper teams already stationed on that roof were beyond absurd, including the sloped roof excuse, which has only drawn more criticism toward the agency. It was a cataclysmic security failure, one that could have killed Trump.

From colleague Brianna O'Neil about briefings for lawmakers about the Trump shooting. USSS “acknowledged failure” of the agency. FBI has now interviewed more than 200 people. Johnson/Jeffries asked for a classified briefing next week with the Secret Service and FBI

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) July 17, 2024

F.B.I. officials, speaking w/ members of Congress, said the gunman's search history on his electronic devices included images of public figures — including Trump and Biden — along with dates of Trump appearances and the DNC in Chicago, according to a person who was on the call.

— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) July 17, 2024

Like the Nashville shooter, they know. They absolutely know. They are going to withhold all of it because of some imaginary fear of backlash. https://t.co/pZyk0Hwdpx

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) July 17, 2024

UPDATE: There were initial reports of federal officials finding Crooks' Steam account, which was shared during a briefing with US Senators on Trump's assassination attempt. That account was later determined to be fake.