Who was Thomas Crooks? One year later, motive and missed warnings haunt Trump rally shooting

Share and Follow

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

As the one-year mark nears since the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, questions remain unanswered; notably, why did Thomas Matthew Crooks carry out the attack, and how did he get so close?

Despite the year’s passage, the mystery endures surrounding the 20-year-old Pennsylvania native’s motivation. Fox News Digital spoke with two former federal officials about the lingering questions.

Former FBI agent John Nantz said Crooks did not fit the profile of a politically motivated extremist.

“Crooks looked not so much like an ideologue, not so much like an individual who was being directed in some way to conduct an assassination attempt, but more like a person with anti-social issues that may have been seeking notoriety,” Nantz told Fox News Digital.

The breakdown on July 13 led to bipartisan calls for then-USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign. After her resignation, Ronald Rowe Jr., who was serving as the deputy director, was appointed as the acting director.

He held the position until Jan. 22, when Sean Curran, a veteran agent who had been part of Trump’s protective detail during the assassination attempt, was appointed as the 28th director of the USSS.

“Now, the Secret Service also has new leadership. And this is a big part of the success of the agency. You need leaders that are trusted — and as I said, that are going to make the safety and security of those they protect the priority,” Marino said. “And they have that leadership now. I’m confident in that leadership.”