Anonymous Donor Paid for Thomas Matthew Crooks’ Cremation After Trump Assassination Attempt
An unidentified donor covered the cost of cremating Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, according to federal records reviewed by The Post.
The detail appears in a collection of documents provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of his continuing investigation into the first attempt on Trump’s life.
A note added to a summary of an interview between federal investigators and Crooks’ father, Matthew, states simply: “Anonymous donor paid for cremation.”
Family’s Financial Situation Raised Questions
The records also indicate that Crooks’ family may have faced financial difficulties following the shooting.
The addendum describes Matthew as “retired” and notes that his wife was on leave from work. Elsewhere in the records, Matthew said he was “unemployed” at the time of the July 13, 2024, shooting.
Those details suggest the family may not have been in a position to easily cover the expenses associated with Thomas Crooks’ funeral arrangements, although the records do not identify the anonymous donor or explain why that person chose to pay for the cremation.
Crooks’ Body Was Cremated Days After the Shooting
Crooks opened fire from a rooftop overlooking the Butler rally on July 13, 2024. The shooting grazed Trump in the ear, killed one rally attendee and seriously wounded two others.
A Secret Service sniper shot and killed Crooks moments after he began firing.
The handling of Crooks’ body later became another point of controversy surrounding the investigation into the assassination attempt.
Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, previously revealed that Crooks’ body had been released to his family less than two weeks after the shooting. The revelation prompted Higgins to question why the FBI had released the remains so quickly.
In a letter to the bipartisan congressional task force examining the security failures surrounding the attack, Higgins said his attempt to examine Crooks’ body on Aug. 5, 2024, had “caused quite a stir.”
He wrote that the examination uncovered a disturbing detail: the FBI had released Crooks’ body for cremation just 10 days after the July 13 shooting.
The latest federal records now provide another detail about what happened afterward: the cremation itself was apparently paid for by an unidentified donor.
Investigation Into the Butler Shooting Continues
The anonymous payment is included among records being reviewed as part of Grassley’s ongoing inquiry into the first Trump assassination attempt.
The documents shed additional light on the circumstances surrounding Crooks and his family after the attack, but they do not identify who paid for the cremation or provide an explanation for the donor’s involvement.
The Post said its attempts to contact Matthew Crooks for comment were unsuccessful.