Republican Congressman claims Trump shooter Thomas Crooks had three encrypted accounts overseas and hints at 'Iranian plot' as FBI continues to investigate
- US intel previously suggested Iran wanted revenge for 2020 assassination
The FBI is seeking to get access to three encrypted accounts based overseas allegedly belonging to Donald Trump's attempted assassin as they look to understand a motive for the July 13 shooting, a Republican congressman suggested.
Rep. Michael Waltz said he has been speaking with agents as the FBI continues to probe the attack, learning the bureau believes Thomas Crooks may have been linked to foreign accounts amid sensational rumors of an 'Iranian plot'.
'The shooter had three encrypted accounts overseas. At the same time we're having an Iranian plot,' Waltz said on Jesse Watters Primetime late Thursday.
'I think this is going to go much broader, much deeper... We're going to get to the bottom of this beginning Monday.'
Waltz went on to say agents are now looking 'to hold' US Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle 'to account' over the assassination attempt, claiming they are 'p***ed' and 'frustrated' over the lack of resources they have been provided.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he was ready to call on Joe Biden to fire Ms Cheatle as her office said she would not step down amid growing pressure to resign following the shooting.
Michael Waltz (pictured) said agents are seeking access to Crooks' alleged overseas accounts
Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after the July 13 shooting
Waltz said the FBI is looking to get access to three accounts associated with Crooks (pictured)
Ms Cheatle speaks during a Republican National Convention security news conference, June 6
House Speaker Mike Johnson has now joined House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and other leaders in calling for Cheatle to step back from the role after she defended how the Secret Service handled the assassination attempt.
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the Secret Service, revealed on Wednesday night that Ms Cheatle had 'no intentions to step down', citing the importance of a 'continuity' in leadership despite the mounting pressure, however.
'She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews.'
Concerns continue to grow about how Crooks was able to scale the building from which he fired off eight rounds at former president Trump before he was shot dead by the Secret Service's counter-sniper team.
The building used by Crooks as a vantage point was reportedly being used as a police tactical team staging area, with police snipers stationed inside to monitor the rally.
And an officer did see Crooks carrying a range finder and 'scoping out' the roof of the building - but did not stop him, CBS reported on Monday.
By the time two police officers walked over to check him out, he was on the roof, belly crawling.
Crooks had already been flagged as suspicious by law enforcement, but had not been deemed a 'threat', Guglielmi said this week.
The FBI is now also trying to assess whether an ominous post on gaming platform Steam allegedly made by Crooks, hinting he would be in the news on Saturday, is authentic and was made by the suspect.
The alleged Iranian plot has been met with scrutiny from US officials, however.
'As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,' US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said on Tuesday.
'The investigation of Saturday's attempted assassination of former President Trump is active and ongoing.
'At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic.'
Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry, denied that there was 'any involvement in the recent armed attack against Trump'.
He said the rumors have 'malicious political motives' and rejected the suggestion that Iran ever intended 'to undertake such an action'.
A threat assessment by the US intelligence community released in February said Iran was targeting Trump over the death of Qasem Soleimani, assassinated by the United States in a drone strike outside Baghdad airport in 2020.
Kanaani said Iran remains 'determined to prosecute Trump over his direct role in the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani'.
Donald Trump speaks after officially accepting the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Wisconsin on July 18
The Secret Service faces mounting pressure over the handling of the shooting on July 13 (pictured Trump at the RNC on July 18)
Members of the Trump family watch from the stage after Trump accepted the nomination
Thomas Crooks is understood to be a computer whiz who had recently earned a spot at a college engineering program.
Classmates have said he was 'bullied everyday' at school, was a loner and sat alone for lunch.
Former classmate Julianna Grooms, 19, told the New York Times: 'Kids would always say, "Hey, look at the school shooter over there!"
'They would tease him about his poor hygiene, his body odor. He was an easy target.'
Video showed some of the harassment Crooks endured at school from his peers.
The 20-year-old from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania was a registered Republican who had previously made a $15 donation to the liberal ActBlue political action committee on January 20, 2021 - Biden's Inauguration Day.
He also had a membership at a local shooting club, the Clairton Sportsmen's Club, according to the BBC.
Law enforcement officers told AP Crooks' father had bought the AR-style rifle used in the attack at least six months ago.
Search history reveals Crooks appeared to have downloaded pictures of politicians from across the political spectrum ahead of the attack.
Police are yet to identify a motive for the attack.
