© C-SPANWashington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer in a Monday hearing near Capitol Hill said it was “absolutely” concerning that Crooks’ body was cremated before the autopsy was released.
Washington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer said it was "absolutely" concerning that the roof of the AGR International building had been quickly scrubbed and gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks' body disposed of before an official autopsy report could be released.
Five House Republicans — Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane of Arizona, Matt Gaetz and Cory Mills of Florida, and Chip Roy of Texas — hosted the panel discussion with Shaffer and other witnesses at the conservative Heritage Foundation.
"Do you find it odd that literally only days after the attempted assassination on President Donald J. Trump, while the roof was too sloped to place individuals for counter-sniper operations, that it wasn't too sloped of a roof for the FBI to go ahead and tamper, in my opinion, with evidence by washing the roof off that may have had significant evidence on it?" Mills asked Shaffer, referring to the chain of events following the July 13 shooting at the Butler, Pa., campaign event which left one audience member dead and three others, including Trump, injured.
"Yes, I do," Shaffer answered.
"Do you also find it odd ... that the body of Matthew Crooks had not only been released and cremated — but that the coroner who's responsible for releasing the body had no knowledge of it?" Mills pressed.
"Yes, absolutely," Shaffer said.
"It sounds like destruction of evidence," replied Erik Prince, a former US Navy SEAL who founded the private military contractor Blackwater in the late 1990s.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned over her disastrous testimony to Congress in the wake of the near-assassination of the 45th president, infamously said in her first interview since the attack that counter-sniper teams had not been placed on the AGR International building where Crooks later perched because of the "sloped roof."
Mills also accused the FBI of a lack of transparency about Crooks' purported "online" research into explosives and encrypted overseas messaging accounts.
Earlier, Shaffer told Biggs that Crooks being seen walking the grounds of the Butler Farm Show with a rangefinder scope should have elevated him from a "suspicious person" to a "person of interest" in law enforcement's eyes.
"That would warrant some type of either investigatory detention or stop-and-question," he said.
Crooks was first photographed by local counter-snipers at 5:10 p.m. and observed with the rangefinder "shortly after 5:38 p.m.," according to Shaffer — 33 minutes before he targeted Trump at 6:11 p.m.
The gunman fired eight shots, striking Trump in the right ear and killing rallygoer Corey Comperatore, 50, and critically wounding David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Counter-sniper teams fired two shots in response, but it is unknown whether just one of those shots or both killed Crooks, Shaffer noted in his testimony.
The 20-year-old shooter's death was ruled a "homicide" by a "gunshot wound to the head," according to an Aug. 2 report by Butler County Coroner William Young.
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), a former police officer and member of the House select task force probing the Butler shooting, revealed in a preliminary investigative report to the panel's chairman, Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), that "the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after" the attack.
Crooks' motivations remain a mystery for many lawmakers in the House and Senate — including Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), another member of the select task force whose members traveled to Butler on Monday to examine the rally scene.
At one point, lawmakers were spotted on the roof of the building where Crooks took up his position, about 150 feet from the stage where Trump was speaking.
Waltz said last week that FBI briefings had revealed Crooks' use of messaging accounts on platforms located in Belgium, Germany and New Zealand.
"Why does a 19-year-old kid who is a health care aide need encrypted platforms not even based in the United States, but based abroad — where most terrorist organizations know it is harder for our law enforcement to get into?" Waltz said at a press conference last week.
"How did he learn to build those IEDs? How did he learn to install remote detonators? How did he conduct those searches and not get popped?" he told The Post the following day. "I still have a lot of questions."
"We've heard both the Secret Service and the FBI kind of phrase it in different ways — that everything they've seen [points to] he acted alone and that they have yet to find any co-conspirator," Waltz added. "I find that hard to believe, and I want to see, where's the proof?"
"Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, is inaccurate and unfounded," the bureau said in a statement Monday evening. "The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence.
"The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting, and we remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to share information with Congress, which includes participating in open hearings and conducting multiple direct briefings and publish information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation.
"The crime scene was released to the property owners in phases as we completed our work at the AGR building, its surroundings, and at the Butler Farm Show grounds. Nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation," the statement added. "The FBI arranged for the cleaning of the location where the perpetrator died, which is in keeping with normal procedures. The shooter's body was released to his family after coordination with the coroner's office and our state and local law enforcement partners. This is also in keeping with normal procedures."
The Butler County Coroner's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reader Comments
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But do your own due diligence - evidence strongly suggest there has been too much tampering - and truly dc is now an effed up mess of confusion.
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It must be time to secede - small scale. Then if it resonates - let the secession grow spontaneously and naturally as things tend to happen amongst biological organisms.
But nowadays we all ought know - some signals have ways of being sent amongst many - and it ain't a stretch to think about that - being there are signals in the air all about - so why can't we send them direct to one another I wonder?
Thanks Gator - I'm not trying to be flippant here, but I say that out of caution and to hopefully avoid misinterpretation - but if you want some hot sauce that I have bottled, I would love to send some your way - on my nickel friend - but I wonder when the package gets to the border - will "our names" be on some sort of list, and will the folks there tasked to spy on their neighbor check out the package send and expected to be delivered fairly? What you think Gator - know this - if you want a bottle I'll send it - and then lets see what happens!
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Here - to make it easy:
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Just let me know - I'm easy - I'm out there.
Ken
Cheers !
In the message, I asked you to "pick out the bottle you want".
I've got a bit of practice sending this in the mail - so really - whatever one you want!
Ken
That is a fair question - don't try to dodge it.
I don't think it can be proven - tis all speculation - and too much speculation is very troubling nowadays.
That I can prove.
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Plus, as an edit: have a 2-1-2 hug JTF - even if it is temporary - don't worry....a short hug is almost better than a long one.
I'm betting Purple.
I'm easy to find - I don't hide out - I do defend - to the death.
Saw a bunch of hawk action today - in the forest where I live JTF.
Just let me know if you want a bottle - I'll send it - and I mean it.
Not kidding around.
BK
Ain't no escaping the hug 2-1-2 style I just gave you - consider yourself hugged!
You don't want a "hug" do you - I already gave you one I think - it don't matter - and sometimes it all seems bsotted...
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I've watched some shows lately showing whales in the oceans - dolphins doing well apparently - I think some of the environmental rules in the 70's made good sense and they made a difference for the better.
But tis like everything - let the pendulum swing too far and then it just becomes harmful for the other side of the scale - so lets hope the pendulum is swinging back and there are some of us able to buffer it....and then let the chips fall where they will, but for goodness sake - lets not kill ourselves - that is senseless.
So, this morning I saw a hawk land on the arch we have in our yard just over the bird water bath.....and I took a picture of that hawk thinking it might hurt some birds going to the bath in my yard, and it flew away, but later in the day I was walking our dog - and that hawk crossed my path not once, but twice - and all I can say is - if that hawk wants to test things out then lets see what happens - I've heard hawk stew is tasty.
If you think I'm full of shit, get a hold of me and I'll send you a picture of the hawk I intend on eating soon enough.
I don't appreciate big birds hurting little birds taking a bath in my yard.
While working in an 11 story building in Paddington about 3 kilometres from the city centre you will have parrots visit the balcony.
I don't mind mockingbirds - in fact we had one chose to take up residence at our getaway place and that bird and I whistled to one another.....I appreciate the morning doves perhaps the most of all - they are so stout in presences, I don't mind blue jays, but I prefer crows over them.
I like vultures circling overhead and canadian geese are a "dime a dozen" on the river - and I think I need to learn how to cook that bird - ducks show up there on occasion, but I should cook a goose before I try a duck I reckon.
We have had Carolina Wren put up a nest and we left it alone and having chickens in ones yard is probably a good idea - being eggs have lots of protein.
One time or two maybe I saw an Indigo Bunting on the trails, those birds don't like to be noticed - but it has been awhile since I've seen one. I keep an eye out in the neighborhood - I just don't appreciate a hawk taking advantage of my bird bath - simple as that.
BK
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Seriously - twas a big one - ambling around the bird bath!
I totally need to get a better camera.
Ken
Certainly a great amount of birdlife where you are, good to see.
Actually I'm a bit of a fan of the crow family, at my local Costco there's lot of open space with dozens of Crows all the time, in the very near future I'll drag my butt over and spend some time taking photo's, I don't like to rush that pursuit, easy does it.
Not now but soon if you don't mind I'll send some info your'e way regards camera's.
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Camera ideas are welcome - my good friend that I worked with for many years suggested this and I quote him: He said it would set me back about 20K - and I said to him - that is "chimp change" and we both got a laugh out of that....
And at the river, there is a family of Osprey nest in the same place year after year - they take care of their own and are most excellent hunters of fish prey.
Even eagles show up at the river intermittently.
I'm a bird watcher - there is one bird I've seen recently - looks sort of like a duck, but it ain't - it has a slim form and it is willing to land in a tree - ducks don't do that. But that bird never lets me get close.
I'm especially fond of the herons on the river - they sit there with such dignity lonely usually on a rock still - I'd never eat one of them - but as for Canadian geese - I need to catch one and then cook it up.
FBI means secret police.
Tis a shame.