Shocking new footage released by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley reveals local police and Secret Service personnel standing over the body of would-be Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, appearing to confirm the 20-year-old sniper’s identity as a suspicious person before he opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally. The bodycam video shows Crooks lifeless on the roof where he wounded Trump and killed hero firefighter Corey Comperatore earlier this month.
The footage, shared by Grassley, features a Secret Service agent and Beaver County Emergency Service Unit officer discussing Crooks’ identity as the suspicious person reported to them earlier. So this is the guy,” the agent says, with the emergency services officer replying, “This is him.” The officer also notes that a police sniper had taken photographs of Crooks, including one of him on a bicycle, before losing sight of him.
Crooks’ gunfire grazed Trump’s ear and injured three rally-goers, ultimately killing Comperatore, a 50-year-old volunteer firefighter and married father of two. The gunman was quickly shot and killed by a Secret Service agent. Sources previously told the Post that the Secret Service had been warned about Crooks as a potential threat just ten minutes before Trump took the stage but still allowed him to proceed.
Grassley is calling for greater transparency from the Secret Service, stating that “Federal agencies, particularly the Secret Service, have failed to be transparent with the American people.” He released the video on the same day Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following pressure from lawmakers. Grassley also sent a letter to the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting answers about various aspects of their response, including whether they had joint jurisdiction over the AGR building where Crooks was perched on or deployed any drones during the event.
