In the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, new revelations are challenging the narrative put forth by federal authorities.
Miranda Devine, a columnist for the New York Post, has unveiled a trove of digital data that paints a far more complex—and troubling—portrait of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old shooter who launched eight deadly rounds at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, 2024.
Despite initial claims by the FBI that Crooks left behind no clear digital trail, Devine says otherwise. During an appearance on America Reports, she revealed that an anonymous source provided her with evidence from no fewer than 17 online accounts tied to Crooks—accounts that expose a radical and disturbing evolution in his mindset over several formative years.
The narrative given to Congress by FBI Deputy Director Paul Abatte in July 2024 centered on generalized extremist behavior. Yet, Devine argues that these details fell short of offering a comprehensive explanation. She says Crooks’ online activity tells a very different story—one marked by ideological instability, fringe internet communities, and a descent into violence that appeared anything but spontaneous.
According to Devine, Crooks’ early posts showed a surprising affinity for Trump and conservative values. However, something shifted drastically around January 2020. His rhetoric flipped from pro-Trump to openly hostile, accompanied by increasingly violent tones.
This transition, Devine posits, was not only rapid but also seemingly influenced by dangerous online figures—most notably, an individual operating under the alias “William Teppers,” who reportedly encouraged Crooks to embrace extremist views.
More curiously, Crooks maintained accounts on platforms like Google Play and DeviantArt, with the latter linked to the controversial furry subculture—an unusual detail that emerged again in the investigation of another high-profile murder: the alleged assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk by Tyler Robinson. Both Robinson and Crooks, Devine notes, appeared to immerse themselves in fringe digital spaces, some of which celebrated bizarre and deeply niche fantasies.
Adding to the psychological profile is Crooks’ self-identification with gender-neutral pronouns online, suggesting a possibly fluid or conflicted identity that was never acknowledged in the FBI’s reporting. Then, in August 2020, Crooks vanished from his online accounts—an abrupt silence that raises even more questions.
Devine argues that the FBI’s explanation appears either woefully incomplete or intentionally redacted. “We see now,” she said, “that there is a lot of other information that the FBI either chose not to look at or is somehow keeping it under wraps.” The implications are profound. If this digital data was known and dismissed—or worse, concealed—it raises concerns about the federal agencies’ transparency and investigative priorities.
