On July 13, 2024, a 20-year-old named Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding former President Donald Trump and killing at least one attendee before being stopped by a Secret Service sniper. That violent, calculated act left the nation stunned and demanded answers about motive, method, and the digital trail left behind.
In the immediate aftermath, the FBI and tech companies insisted Crooks left only a light online footprint, with a Discord account described as rarely used and not linked to planning or promoting the attack. Those official assessments were repeated by mainstream outlets and used to reassure the public that this was a lone wolf with no broader network.
But now new reporting has tied Crooks to multiple online personas on sites like DeviantArt — accounts that allegedly used they/them pronouns and were deeply involved in the “furry” community — a revelation that clashes with the tidy narrative of no digital presence. The New York Post and other outlets say usernames like “epicmicrowave” connect back to a primary email address, suggesting the shooter’s internet life was far from invisible. Conservatives are right to demand clarity: was this simply missed, or was inconvenient evidence downplayed?
Meanwhile, court filings and FBI disclosures show investigators poured massive resources into the probe, uncovering purchases made under aliases, the use of encrypted foreign emails, and the seizure of multiple devices — a deeper footprint than officials first implied. The agency’s own investigative ledger reportedly examined dozens of online accounts while telling Congress the suspect “left no major footprint,” a contradiction that merits scrutiny.
Questions grow louder because Crooks’ body was cremated quickly and some committee inquiries only began after sensitive revelations surfaced in media reports, leaving families and the public wondering whether something was swept under the rug. Quick handling of remains and rapid narrative closure are the exact conditions that breed suspicion in a politicized Washington that has repeatedly shown a willingness to protect elites and dodge accountability.
Patriots who love this country should demand a full, transparent accounting — not half-answers and institutional obfuscation. Congress must lean on the FBI and tech platforms to produce unredacted logs, forensic timelines, and whistleblower testimony if necessary, because faith in our intelligence community cannot survive selective storytelling.
We owe it to the victims and to every American to get the truth: whether this was an isolated act of a troubled individual or the tip of something bigger that was minimized by bureaucrats and media. The next step is simple and patriotic — insist on oversight, protect evidence from politically motivated erasure, and deliver justice openly so the people can judge for themselves.
