An anonymous donor covered the cremation costs for Thomas Crooks, the would-be assassin who opened fire at the rally where President Trump was speaking in Butler, Pa., according to federal records reviewed by The Post.
The detail was contained in a collection of documents provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) during his ongoing investigation into the first attempt on Trump’s life.
“Anonymous donor paid for cremation,” a note at the end of a summary of federal investigators’ interview with Crooks’ father, Matthew, states.
According to the document, the information appears to have come from an attorney representing the Crooks family.
The addendum described Matthew as “retired” and said his wife was on leave from work, indicating that the family may not have been able to afford Thomas’ funeral arrangements.
In other portions of the federal records reviewed by The Post, Matthew said he was “unemployed” when the shooting occurred.
The cremation was first disclosed by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), who said he was both angered and disturbed that Crooks’ remains had been released to his family less than two weeks after the assassination attempt.
“My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5 [2024], caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after (July 13),” Higgins wrote in a letter to the bipartisan congressional task force examining security failures surrounding the shooting.
The Post was unable to reach Matthew for comment.
