josette caruso
@josettecaruso
F.B.I. officials told members of Congress on Wednesday that the gunman who tried to kill former President Donald J. Trump had used his cellphone to search for images of Mr. Trump and President Biden — and also searched for dates of Trump appearances and the Democratic National Convention, according to a person on the private calls.
The F.B.I. has not found any indication that the gunman, Thomas Crooks, had strong partisan political views, based on the two phones among his possessions. The absence of “any political or ideological information” at his home in Pennsylvania was “notable” because most politically motivated would-be assassins leave a discernible trail of views, a top bureau official told lawmakers.
Here’s what else to know:
Focus on the Secret Service: Kimberly A. Cheatle, who became the director of the Secret Service less than 22 months ago after working at the agency for a quarter century, will face sharp scrutiny next week. She is scheduled to appear before two congressional committees that are examining the shooting, which threw her tenure into disarray.
Search for a suspicious person: New details emerged Tuesday about a search for the gunman, who was first spotted acting strangely by a police sniper about 20 to 25 minutes before the shooting, according to a local law enforcement official. The sniper took a photo, which was circulated to law enforcement agencies at the rally. Though considered suspicious, he appeared to be unarmed and not an immediate threat, the official said.
Shots fired: A county official also revealed that at least one local police officer had fired on the would-be assassin as shots erupted at the campaign rally. But it was uncertain if the local officer had hit the gunman, who was killed by Secret Service snipers, the agency has said. The detail came in a New York Times interview with the official, Richard Goldinger, the district attorney of Butler County, Pa.
Improvised bombs: After the gunman was killed, investigators found two improvised bombs in his car. The rudimentary devices were made with the kind of initiators used for fireworks shows and may have contained fertilizer. The devices were described in a report for law enforcement obtained by The New York Times.
Investigations underway: Multiple inquiries by law enforcement, Congress and federal agencies are grinding into gear, seeking to understand how a would-be assassin was able to injure a former president, kill one person and injure two others. Here’s what to know about the inquiries.
11:23 PM · Jul 17, 2024
