FBI Hits Back at Congressman’s Claim That Donald Trump Shooter’s Body is ‘Gone’

New developments in the Donald Trump assassination attempt case have emerged. On July 13, during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the person who fired shots at Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot dead on the spot by the Secret Service agents. Now, Rep. Clay Higgins has released a preliminary report on the incident. He claimed that when he thought of inspecting Crooks' body as part of the investigation, it was 'gone', as reported by the Daily Mail.

His report read, “My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact…the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after (July 13)...On July 23, Crooks was gone. Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement, Sheriff, etc.” He labeled the FBI’s actions as obstruction to the investigation. He penned, "Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI."

He repeated his claims while speaking to Fox News Digital. Higgins said, "My report states the precise truth, which is that the coroner released Crooks body to the family for cremation only after the FBI had specifically authorized the coroner to release Crooks' body to the family for cremation." Reflecting on the coroner’s report and autopsy accuracy, he opined, “We will actually never know. Yes, we’ll get the reports and pictures, etc, 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."

The FBI diagreed with the Republican's statement. A spokesperson assured, "Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, is inaccurate and unfounded." They added, "The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting, and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence." The statement continued, "The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting."

Meanwhile, the Republican's claim led many to find the details disturbing. Podcaster Chris Martenson, highlighted a few major findings from the report and wrote, "'Disturbing' doesn't come close to describing this. It's now 'malfeasance' until proven otherwise." Another podcaster, Clint Russell, stated, "The body of alleged Trump assassin, Crooks, has been cremated. The FBI released his body to the family just 10 days after the attack. As of today, the coroner's report has still not been released. Cover. Up."