FBI Records Reveal Trump Shooter Used Alias for Rifle Parts

Newly released FBI records show that Thomas Crooks, the man who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump in July 2024, used the alias "Bob Dole" for online purchases of rifle components and that an anonymous donor paid for his cremation. The documents, provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of his investigation, add new details about Crooks' behavior but do not establish a motive for the attack. According to the records, Crooks used the pseudonym "Bob Dole"-the name of the late Kansas senator and 1996 Republican presidential nominee-to receive shipments of parts, tools, and items intended to increase the capacity of his rifle. Packages were delivered to his parents' home in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. His father, Matthew Crooks, told investigators that his son began using the alias after the family's bank account was hacked and fraudulent gambling charges appeared. Thomas Crooks believed using a pseudonym could reduce the risk of further hacking, a view his father disputed, noting that payments could still be traced through the buyer's financial account. The records also reveal that an anonymous donor paid for Thomas Crooks' cremation.