Attempted Trump Assassin Thomas Crooks’ Body Was Cremated Prematurely, Congressman Claims

The recent attempted assassination of the former president has raised concerns over the handling of the investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

According to a report by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Louisiana), who was appointed to the bipartisan task force reviewing the incident, the FBI’s actions have been nothing short of “scorched earth.”

Higgins, a former police captain, revealed that the body of the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had been “released for cremation” by the FBI just 10 days after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. This decision, made without the knowledge of the county coroner or local law enforcement, has raised serious questions about the FBI’s transparency.

In his “preliminary investigative report,” Higgins states that his attempt to personally examine Crooks’ body was met with the “disturbing fact” which, he argues, has compromised the integrity of the investigation.

Higgens wrote, “The problem with me not being able to examine the actual body is that I won’t know 100% if the coroner’s report and the autopsy report are accurate. We will actually never know… Yes, we’ll get the reports and pictures, but I will not ever be able to say with certainty that those reports and pictures are accurate according to my own examination of the body.”

Higgins’ concerns are echoed by the task force’s chairman, Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pennsylvania), who expressed grave reservations about the FBI’s handling of the case.

Higgins finds the release of Crooks’ body for cremation particularly concerning given that both the Homeland Security Committee and the Oversight Committee had opened investigations into the assassination attempt on July 23, the same day the body was turned over to the family. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Lousiana) had also stated he would be forming a congressional investigative body.

Higgins said after the publication of his report, “As I have said, every question will be answered, every theory explored, and every doubt erased. The American people deserve the full truth on the attempted assassination.” 

Prior to being elected to the lower house in 2016, Higgins worked as a police officer in Louisiana. In November 2023, he suggested that violence at the Capitol on January 6 was caused by operatives who were brought in by the FBI on “ghost buses.”

As the bipartisan task force continues its investigation, the public can expect a final report before December 13. The report will aim to determine what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination and make recommendations to prevent future security lapses.

Crooks‘ classmates recalled him as a “harmless” straight A student.