FBI Director Releases Key Details About Trump Shooter’s Weapons Cache

(PatriotWise.com) — FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in a hearing of the House Judiciary Committee last Wednesday, where he updated lawmakers on the investigation into the July 13 attempted assassination of Donald Trump.

Wray revealed that the gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Crooks, may have used a rifle with a collapsible stock, which would have made it easier to conceal and carry the firearm. He said that a collapsible stock could explain why rally-goers did not see the weapon while Crooks was walking around the area and why the rifle was not spotted until after he made it onto the roof.

Director Wray also informed lawmakers that based on Crooks’s internet search history, one week before the rally, he searched the distance that Lee Harvey Oswald was from President John F. Kennedy when he shot him in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963.

According to Wray, eight cartridges were found on the roof around the body. Based on a bloody receipt found on the body, Crooks also purchased a 5-foot ladder. However, the ladder was not found, and it was unclear how Crooks got onto the roof, Wray said.

Wray also confirmed that the gunman flew a drone roughly 200 yards away from the main stage area about two hours before the rally began. The drone and its controller were found in Crooks’ car along with two explosive devices that could be detonated remotely. The remote detonator was found on the body, but investigators determined that it “would not have worked,” Wray said.

According to the director, Crooks was an “avid shooting hobbyist” and went to a range the day before the rally, where he “probably” used the same semi-automatic rifle he used in the assassination attempt.

In a rare unanimous vote in the House that same day, lawmakers approved legislation to create a task force to investigate the security lapses at the July 13 Butler rally.

The task force will consist of 13 members, seven Republicans and six Democrats. The panel, which will have subpoena power, will determine what went wrong and propose recommendations to prevent similar security failings in the future.

The task force will be expected to submit its final report to Congress before December 13.

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