HARRISBURG, Pa. – Former President Trump is expected to meet with the FBI on Thursday for an interview weeks after the failed campaign rally assassination attempt that left him with a minor gunshot injury, killed a supporter and critically wounded two others in the stands.
Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman, was killed at the scene after a Secret Service counter-sniper returned fire.
Law enforcement sources revealed last week that the bureau was looking to obtain a victim statement from the former president, which is a routine step in similar investigations. FBI agents have already interviewed dozens of people, including witnesses, former classmates and members of law enforcement, and authorities have said the suspect’s parents are cooperating as well.
Trump told Fox News this week that the interview would come Thursday, a day after he returned to Pennsylvania for a campaign rally in Harrisburg.
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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is shown after being wounded in an attempted assassination on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“President Trump’s willingness to meet with the FBI Thursday and sit for a victim interview is a clear demonstration of his full cooperation for this investigation,” said Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent. “More importantly, in my opinion, it illustrates his respect for the additional victims of the case, fallen Corey Comperatore and injured David Dutch and James Copenhaver. This is not just about him.”
Trump isn’t required to sit for the interview, experts say.
“He could easily decline the FBI’s request to interview him and say that it is not necessary since he has already spoken about what happened to him publicly at the Republican National Convention, the shooting itself was live on television, etc.,” Parker continued. “That would be entirely appropriate, [but] his cooperation may be key in understanding what went wrong and also be instrumental in the prevention of future assassination attempts.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks is shown on a roof moments before he tried to assassinate former President Trump. (DJ Laughery | Inset: Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Multiple investigations have been opened into what went wrong and allowed Crooks to reach an elevated perch with a clear line of sight within 150 yards of the former president and current Republican presidential nominee.
“It’s really not necessary, but it’s not going to hurt,” said David Gelman, a former prosecutor and now a New Jersey-based private attorney.
He said agents’ questions will be limited to the rally shooting investigation, and they won’t be able to probe Trump about unrelated matters, such as prior federal investigations or the raid on Mar-a-Lago.
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“They won’t ask about anything other than the assassination attempt,” he said. “They are not allowed to. They are going to ask, ‘What did you see? How did it make you feel?’”
President Trump speaks to supporters on July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (Courtesy of Linda Musulin)
While Trump has already spoken publicly about the event, investigators may find something useful in what he tells them, he said, although it’s unlikely he saw Crooks before the gunman opened fire.
Fox News Digital exclusively obtained point-of-view video from victim James Copenhaver on Wednesday that shows what appears to be Crooks creeping around on a rooftop across the field from the rally.
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Copenhaver was hospitalized after a stray bullet struck him while he was standing on the opposite side of the stage from the shooter, behind Trump.
In addition to wounding Copenhaver, 74, Crooks fatally struck 50-year-old Corey Comperatore and critically injured David Dutch, 57.
Both survivors have since been released from the hospital.
Multiple investigations are underway by numerous agencies, including the FBI and a House of Representatives task force. They are probing the security lapse that allowed Crooks onto a rooftop with a rifle and his motive.
