FBI counters claim it released Crooks' body for cremation days after Trump assassination

The FBI has refuted a Republican congressman's claim that the agency released the body of Thomas Matthew Crooks for cremation just 10 days after he attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania last month.

The agency denies allegations made by Louisiana Republican Rep. Clay Higgins, who said that when he asked to see Crooks' body on August 5, no one on the ground in Butler knew that it had been returned to the suspect's family on July 23. Higgins said the revelation “caused quite a stir and brought to light a disturbing fact.”

Higgins, a former police chief, is investigating the deadly July 13 incident as part of a bipartisan congressional task force and made these claims in a stunning preliminary report that is highly critical of the FBI's investigation into the matter. Higgins says the release of the body and other allegations against the FBI for poor practices amount to “obstruction of all subsequent investigative efforts.”

An FBI spokesperson told Fox News Digital that any suggestion the agency would interfere with Congress's efforts to solve the attempted murder was “inaccurate and unfounded.”

The agency said Crooks' body was released to his family after consultation with the coroner's office and state and local law enforcement “in accordance with standard procedures.”

Higgins, a former police captain, said he traveled to Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month to investigate the crime scene and when he asked to see Crooks' body, he found it “missing.”

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“My attempt to examine Crooks' body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and brought to light a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after J13. [July 13],” Higgins wrote in the report sent to task force chairman Mike Kelly (R-Pa.).

“No one knew about this until Monday, August 5, including the county coroner, police, sheriff, etc.,” Higgins writes. “Yes, the Butler County coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the coroner and he would never have released Crooks' body to the family for cremation or burial without express authorization from the FBI.”

In addition, Higgins writes that both the coroner's report and the autopsy report were “delayed,” and that they arrived a week late on August 5.

The problem with not being able to examine Crooks' body is that Higgins doesn't know for sure whether the coroner's report and the autopsy report are accurate, he says.

“We will actually never know. Yes, we will get the reports and pictures etc., but I will never be able to say for sure whether those reports and pictures correspond to my own examination of the body,” Higgins writes.

In addition to releasing Crooks' body, Higgins also criticized the FBI for not releasing the crime scene until three days later, “to everyone's surprise.”

Higgins said they did so despite widespread knowledge that Congress would investigate the shooting in which Trump was struck in the ear. The crooks killed highly respected local firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was trying to protect his daughters from the gunfire, while two other victims suffered life-threatening injuries who are expected to make full recoveries.

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“They had to know that the publication of the J13 crime scene would compromise the immediate observations of any subsequent investigation,” Higgins writes.

Higgins also claims that the FBI removed biological evidence from the crime scene, which he says is “unprecedented.”

“Police officers never do this,” Higgins writes.

However, the FBI also denied these allegations, telling Fox News Digital that the crime scene was gradually made available to property owners and that “nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation.”

The FBI also said it had ordered the cleanup of the scene where Crooks died, which was standard practice.

“The FBI worked closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation of the shooting, and we followed standard procedures in handling the scene and evidence,” the FBI statement said. “The FBI continues its diligent investigative work to obtain the fullest possible picture of the causes of the shooting, and we remain committed to the utmost transparency as we continue to inform Congress and release information to the public about the ongoing investigation.”

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump reacts as several shots are fired during a campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

The preliminary report also sheds more light on the shocking event that could have plunged the country into a political crisis.

Higgins has high praise for local law enforcement, particularly the Butler County Emergency Services Unit (ESU), which he said was professionally deployed and managed.

A point of concern, however, is the fact that the Secret Service did not pick up the radios that the Butler County Tactical Command had left for him, despite being reminded by the Butler County Tactical Command the day before and the morning of the shooting, Higgins says.

He also discovered that before July 13, the Secret Service had never assigned a sniper team to a former president, including Trump.

Higgins said Crooks fired eight shots and all eight shell casings were recovered and reportedly in the FBI's possession. He said Crooks' position on the roof of the Gar building gave him excellent cover from the northern sniper team due to the foliage and branches of two trees.

A screenshot taken by James Copenhaver, one of the victims seriously injured in the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Trump, shows a figure, presumably Crooks, moving across a rooftop just minutes before shots rang out at Trump's rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (James Copenhagen)

The ninth shot was fired by a Butler SWAT agent from the ground, approximately 100 yards from the AGR building. The shot struck Crooks' rifle stock, shattering his face and shoulder area as the stock broke. Higgins believes this shot damaged the buffer tube on Crooks' rifle, meaning the rifle stopped firing after his eighth shot.

“The SWAT agent who fired this shot was a real daredevil. When he spotted shooter Crooks on the roof of the AGR as a moving target, mostly obscured by foliage, he immediately left his assigned post and ran toward the threat. He ran to a clear firing position directly into the line of fire as Crooks fired eight shots,” Higgins writes.

Higgins writes that when shot 9 was fired, Crooks “fell to the ground” from his firing position, recovered after only a few seconds, and “jumped back up.”

The tenth and final shot was fired by a Southern Secret Service sniper team. It hit the left mouth area and exited the right ear area.

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Officers surround Thomas Crooks on the roof of AGR after he was killed by snipers. (Butler Twp. Police Department)

Higgins also says Crooks did not use a ladder to climb to the roof and rules out the possibility of a possible second shooter being on top of the water tower. Videos circulating online show a dark figure or shadow on top of the water tower, but Higgins says ESU Commander Edward Lenz had cleared the tower that morning using a drone.

He also says a window below Crooks' firing position on the roof of the AGR building would not open and was never opened after videos posted online suggested “muzzle flashes” could be heard there.

“The 'muzzle flash' from inside the window was either a digital invention or the light from an iPhone or the flash of an iPhone camera reflecting off the window pane,” Higgins writes.

Higgins said he still needed to investigate how Crooks became a shooter and how he made a remote-controlled bomb.

“I have not investigated the life and actions of Thomas Matthew Crooks beyond his actions on J13. But I will. We will. We are just getting started, Mr. Chairman.”