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Trump gunman planned to use explosives to escape rally site, lawmaker says
By Mike Darnay,
5 days ago
Leading lawmaker says that Trump gunman had plan to use explosives to escape rally site 00:14
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KDKA) -- The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump planned to use explosives to create a diversion in a bid to escape the rally site, a leading lawmaker has revealed.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said on CBS' "Face the Nation" that Thomas Crooks had a detonation device on his body and two bombs in his vehicle.
"What his plan was, was to assassinate the president, create a diversion by blowing up his vehicle on the other side of the property, and then he could escape," said McCaul, who served three terms as chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee.
CBS News previously reported that an AR-style rifle, remote transmitter and cellphone were found on the shooter's body while two explosive devices, a drone, a tactical vest and four magazines of the same ammunition used in the shooting were found in Crooks' vehicle.
Donald Trump is seen with blood on his ear and face, surrounded by Secret Service agents as he is taken off the stage at a campaign event at Butler Farm Show Inc. in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. Trump was hit in the ear in an apparent assassination attempt by a gunman at the campaign rally. REBECCA DROKE / AFP via Getty Images
Kimberly Cheatle resigned from her position as director of the Secret Service after facing pressure from lawmakers who called for her to step down in the wake of the attempted assassination of the former president.
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