FBI Docs: Anonymous Donor Paid for Cremation of Attempted Trump Assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks
Documents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that an anonymous donor paid for Thomas Crooks’ body to be cremated after he was killed while trying to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign.
Fox News Digital published details Tuesday about the federal records, which were collected as part of an investigation into the shooting that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Authorities are still searching for potential motives amid public criticism over a lack of transparency.
Crooks, 20, opened fire that day, hitting Trump in the ear before Secret Service agents rushed to the stage to protect him. He also killed volunteer fireman Corey Comperatore, 50, who was shielding his wife from gunfire at the time.
Secret Service snipers returned fire after Crooks got off several shots, killing him almost instantly.
An attorney for Crooks’ family told investigators that he’d been cremated shortly after his death, and that the costs were covered by an anonymous donor, according to the documents.
This was unusual, given that Crooks’ father Matthew told the FBI his son “never identified anyone as a friend throughout middle school and high school,” leaving the donor’s identity a mystery.
New details revealed about would-be Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks: He used the alias “Bob Dole” to order suspicious packages, had no friends throughout middle and high school, and an anonymous donor paid for his cremation.
His family says they were shocked by the attack,… pic.twitter.com/WtKNK0dJzO
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 15, 2026
The records, which were turned over to the Senate Judiciary Committee, also showed that Crooks used the alias “Bob Dole” while ordering suspicious packages.
Crooks reportedly collected various packages addressed to his alias before his father could come home from work and discover them.
His parents have kept out of the public eye since the assassination attempt, with his father retiring, and his mother Mary taking leave from her job.
The New York Post ran an exclusive story Monday about the FBI documents as well, highlighting how Crooks “hardly laughed,” was quiet his entire life, and never had a real relationship with his father.
The outlet cited instances where Crooks acted out in school or at home and said that his behavior got progressively worse when he hit high school.
This included him frequently talking to himself and never showing an interest in girls, despite having “repeatedly denied” that he was gay.
Additionally, the files said Crooks had developed an obsession with guns as a teenager and trained to become a better marksman, eventually growing “very knowledgeable.”
“He wanted to see how far he could shoot with rudimentary sights,” Matthew told investigators, adding that his son “never showed any signs indicating something was wrong.”
Moreover, Crooks was predisposed to using multiple encrypted email providers and taught his father how to use “identity-obscuring software” like CyberGhost VPN, along with the Bravenet Browser.
As for Crooks’ conflicting politics, a report from July 2024 quoted neighbor Kelly Little as saying she had previousy seen pro-Trump signs in the family’s yard.
“There absolutely was MAGA supporting things for a while,” she explained.
Despite Crooks being a registered Republican, he’d given a $15 donation to ActBlue, which was earmarked for the “Progressive Turnout Project” on the day of former President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration.
Crooks’ father is a registered libertarian, but was flagged by Trump’s 2016 campaign as a Second Amendment supporter and therefore a potential donor.
Crook’s mother is a Democrat.
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