Since Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on July 13, investigators have been working to determine a motive. They found a message posted to the gaming platform, Steam, that they believe Crooks himself authored. The message reads, "July 13 will be my premiere. Watch as it unfolds." In their search, investigators also found internet searches for both Trump and President Joe Biden on Crooks' phone.
Prior to the rally, Crooks, 20, had searched for the dates of Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. He also searched for those of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the sources said. His phone was one of several devices that authorities confiscated in their attempt to piece together a timeline. As he searched for information pertaining to both Trump and current President Joe Biden, authorities are also searching for someone who can provide insight into his political leanings.
Thomas Matthew Crooks Used Steam To Allude To Trump Assassination Plan
Steam is a platform where users can purchase and discuss video games. It is one of the largest video game retailers in the world. Steam also has a collection of forums dedicated to different topics. That may have been how Crooks communicated with other people. As the image of who Crooks was becomes slowly becomes clearer, people have begun to speculate on motives. "Likely, it was a combination of mental health issues, ideological beliefs and a sense of personal grievance, the same combination of factors present in almost every school shooting and mass casualty attack over the past several years. As with those incidents, the warning signs were there, they were just not recognized," John Cohen, the former Department of Homeland Security Head of Intelligence told ABC News.
As authorities continue their investigation, the political landscape continues to change. The Department of Homeland Security announced plans to investigate the Secret Service for their handling of the rally. President Biden is under mounting pressure to drop his plans to seek re-election. Donald Trump, who has been at the Republican National Convention all week, will formally accept his party's presidential nomination for a third time tonight.