Former President Donald J. Trump is reportedly scheduled to be interviewed as part of a massive criminal investigation being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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A Campaign Rally at a Small Town Ag Fairground
On Monday, ABC News, owned by The Walt Disney Company, announced via its Breaking News website that former President Donald Trump will be subjected to an in-depth interview as part of an ongoing FBI investigation into the events that transpired during a Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
The rally took place at Pennsylvania’s Butler Farm Show, a 100-acre fairground used for agricultural exhibitions located in the small town of Butler, Pennsylvania, approximately 35 miles north of the city of Pittsburgh. It began shortly before 6:00 p.m.
At approximately 6:05 p.m., Mr. Trump took the stage, addressing those in attendance with an acknowledgment of the “big, big, beautiful crowd.” He then proceeded to focus his speech on current President Joe Biden‘s record and his policies on immigration.
Despite the 90-degree summer heat in Butler that day, thousands of Trump supporters had gathered at the fairground for the opportunity to show their support for the former president and hear him speak about his plans for the future, should he clinch the Republican nomination only days later, as well as the majority vote when Americans head to the polls on November 5.
Only moments into his speech, Mr. Trump suddenly turned toward the right, abruptly halting his speech. As he put his hand over his right ear, shots were fired, and the former president quickly crouched down behind the lectern from which he had been speaking only seconds earlier.
Agents with the United States Secret Service rushed the platform where Trump was crouched down, immediately using their own bodies to shield the former president. For a few brief seconds, people in the crowd gathered behind the stage weren’t sure what had happened, as evidenced by a lack of expression on the faces of some and a look of confusion on the faces of others.
Three Rally Attendants Are Victims
In the aftermath of the shooting, which was confirmed as an assassination attempt on the life of the former president, authorities also confirmed that three rally attendees were also shot. David Dutch, James Copenhaver, and Corey Comperatore were hit by one or more of the assailant’s bullets.
Dutch and Coperhaver were seriously wounded, and Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief who used his body to shield his family members at the rally, lost his life.
Scattered Details, Updates, and Outrage Toward Secret Service
In the moments, hours, and days following the shooting, news outlets in the United States and across the globe reported on every available finite detail about the shooting, the gunman, who was killed by a Secret Service sniper, and the circumstances surrounding the rally and the tragedy that played out before the audience during the rally.
News that was shared in the first few days after the attempted assassination was often clarified, updated, or retracted as details about the event became clearer.
But one thing that needed little clarification was the widespread criticism of the U.S. Secret Service’s response to the assassination attempt on Mr. Trump’s life–or lack thereof–that arose almost immediately following the July 13 shooting.
Secret Service Director Is Ousted
The director and 29-year veteran of the Secret Service Agency, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned from her role on July 23 after numerous calls for her to step down–calls she had ignored up to that time.
“In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director,” Cheatle wrote in her resignation.
She continued by acknowledging that on the day of the attempted assassination, the Secret Service agency “fell short” of the mission “to protect [the] nation’s leaders.” Secret Service Deputy Director Ronald Rowe has been selected to lead the agency, per an announcement from the Department of Homeland Security.
Cheatle, who was appointed by President Joe Biden as the agency’s director in 2022, left lawmakers “incensed” after her appearance before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, July 22.
Though she told lawmakers that there had been “colossal” and “significant” security issues at the Pennsylvania rally, Cheatle refused to answer several of the committee members’ questions and vehemently rejected demands for her resignation.
Former President Trump to Sit For “Victim Interview” With FBI Agents
On Monday, the Disney-owned ABC News organization, along with numerous major world news organizations, announced that former President Trump has agreed to requests by the FBI to sit for a “victim interview” as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation into the attempted assassination in Pennsylvania on July 13.
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The FBI’s announcement came during a conference call with reporters on Monday, during which Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek shared few details about when the interview would take place. Rojek did, however, say that the interview would be “a standard victim interview” like those carried out “for any other victim of crime.”
New Details Emerge About the Would-Be Assailant
Rojek and other FBI officials used the conference call as a platform from which to share new details the agency has uncovered during its investigation since the attempted assassination took place. Per ABC News:
Rojek said it appears the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks “made significant efforts to conceal his activities.”
“We believe his actions also show a careful planning ahead of the rally,” Rojek said.
Senior officials from the FBI painted a picture of a shooter who had no friends and his social circle appeared to be limited to his immediate family.
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According to ABC News, FBI officials have also determined that Crooks painstakingly preplanned his attack on the former president online, though he showed no outward signs of contemplating such an act.
Agents noted that in addition to searching online for information about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in November 1963, Crooks also searched online for details about various mass casualty events as well.
Related: Walt Disney & JFK: The Presidency, the Space Race, and a Dark Day in Dallas
According to FBI officials, Crooks further searched for details about “power plant mass shooting events, information on improvised explosive devices, and the attempted assassination of the Slovakian prime minister earlier this year.”
As of the time of this post, it is not clear when Mr. Trump will be interviewed.
