FACT CHECK: Does This Video Show The Trump Rally Shooter Yelling About ‘Slashing Republican Throats’?
A social media post claiming to show the attempted assassin of Former President Donald Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks, threatening to ‘slash Republican throats’ on a college campus is false. The video is from 2020 and was taken at Arizona State University where a student was yelling at a “Students for Trump” setup. The FBI is investigating Crooks’ motive for the attempted assassination, treating it as potential domestic terrorism. Crooks, who would have been 16 at the time, did not graduate high school until 2022. The viral post misidentifies Crooks and falsely accuses him of making threatening remarks towards Republicans. The incident at ASU did not feature Crooks, who was not a student at the time.
A viral social media post claims to show the attempted assassin of Former President Donald Trump, Thomas Matthew Crooks, yelling on a college campus, threatening to ‘slash [the former President’s and] Republican throats.’
Verdict: False
The video is from 2020 and was taken on the Arizona State University campus. Crooks would have been 16-years-old at the time of the recorded incident, but did not graduate high school until 2022.
Fact Check:
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are attempting to gain access to Crooks’ cell phone as part of an investigation into his motive for attempting to assassinate the former president, according to NBC News. The shooting, per the FBI, is being investigated “as an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism,” the outlet reported.
A viral social media post claims to show Crooks yelling at a group of people allegedly showing their support for the former president. In the video, the man can be seen yelling in the middle of a public square at a Republican venue setup, threatening to ‘slash all Republican throats’ along with other expletives. A text overlay on the video reads “Thomas Matthew Crooks was NOT a Republican.”
“The same media that insights such unstable people is now mentioning that he was registered as a Republican. Oh, and they are all calling for unity,” the post’s caption reads. “Yep. I guess when you miss you have to appear righteous.” (RELATED: THREADS IMAGE FALSELY IDENTIFIES MAN ACCUSED OF SHOOTING TRUMP)
The video is several years old and does not feature Crooks. The incident occurred at the Arizona State University (AZU) campus in 2020, where a student was yelling at a “Students for Trump” setup on campus, according to The Arizona Republic. AZU campus police said at the time that they were “working to identify the man and confirm whether he is a student,” the outlet reported. Check Your Fact could not find a follow-up article identifying the man in the video.
Crooks was not a student at the time of the incident, attending Bethel Park High School until his graduation in 2022, according to The New York Times. Subsequently, he graduated from the Community College of Allegheny County with an associate degree in engineering science earlier this year, the outlet reported. Crooks can be seen in a 2022 commencement video uploaded by his school district on YouTube.
This story is part of our ongoing coverage of the Trump Assassination Attempt. Please consider viewing our other articles on this breaking news story.
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