Tag: assassinations

Anonymous Donor Paid to Cremate Thomas Crooks Just 10 Days After He Tried to Assassinate President Trump in Butler

The family couldn’t pay. Someone else did. And two years later, nobody will say who.

An anonymous donor paid to cremate Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who climbed a rooftop in Butler, Pennsylvania, and tried to murder Donald Trump, just ten days after the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt.

The New York Post reviewed documents turned over to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) as part of his ongoing probe into the Butler attack. Buried at the end of an FBI interview summary with the gunman’s father, Matthew Crooks, is a short, stunning note:

“Anonymous donor paid for cremation.”

The information, according to the records, came from a lawyer for the Crooks family.

There is currently no public evidence that the anonymous donor had any connection to Crooks’ attack, and the identity of the individual or organization reportedly footing the bill remains unknown.

But the revelation is especially striking because the rapid disposal of Crooks’ remains was already the subject of controversy on Capitol Hill.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported in August 2024, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who served on the House task force investigating the assassination attempt, revealed that Crooks’ body had been cremated only ten days after the shooting.

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Federal Records Reveal Major New Details About Trump’s Would-Be Assassin Thomas Crooks, Including a Very Surprising Alias He Used While Buying Gun Parts

Stunning new details have emerged regarding Thomas Crooks, President Trump’s would-be assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania, two years ago.

On Tuesday, Fox News reviewed federal records turned over to the Senate, which will raise questions about why such information regarding Crooks has not come out before.

For instance, Thomas Crooks’s father, Matthew Crooks, then took an early retirement shortly after the shooting, while his mother, Mary Crooks, went on leave from work to “process the situation.”

This did not seem to be a family with significant financial means, especially since they could not afford a funeral for their son. So, something appears to be missing.

The New York Post also reviewed records which show Crooks adopted the pseudonym “Bob Dole” while ordering large numbers of Amazon packages, including “parts, tools, and items to increase the capacity of his rifle.”

He started doing this due to paranoia he picked up after his father’s Citizens Bank checking account was hacked and multiple fraudulent BetMGM charges were made on his account. It’s unclear why Thomas Crooks chose “Bob Dole” as his go-to online disguise.

Thomas Crooks also ignored his dad’s warning that simply using a pseudonym would not necessarily protect the buyer from being hacked. The charge, after all, is still being made to a bank account under his name.

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Charlie Kirk’s TPUSA sponsored by Israeli govt-aligned outfit, leaked contract shows

One year after Charlie Kirk’s killing, The Charlie Kirk Show is distributed by a federally registered agent of Israel and his widow, Erika, has reversed his critical positions on the US-Israeli special relationship.

Now, The Grayzone can reveal that the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) organization he founded is holding faith events sponsored by an Israel-based non-profit with close ties to the Israeli government.

A leaked contract obtained by The Grayzone reveals that TPUSA entered into an agreement with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) to sponsor a series of ostensibly Christian faith-based summits between 2025 and 2027. Signed on May 16, 2025, the contract committed IFCJ to pay $700,000 to TPUSA over two years. In exchange, the group was to receive a series of promotional benefits including main stage speaking slots for its President, Yael Eckstein, and the distribution of pro-Israel “activism kits” to over 200 college campuses.

View the full May 16, 2025 contract between IFCJ and TPUSA here.

From the May 2025 IFCJ/TPUSA contract obtained by The Grayzone

Based in Israel and Chicago, Illinois, IFCJ presents itself as a charity which raises money from Christians to assist Jews supposedly suffering from poverty and antisemitism. In fact, it is a fundraising behemoth which is currently on a spending spree, plowing millions into American conservative media while partnering closely with the Israeli government to spread Zionist propaganda.

In a recent interview, IFCJ President Yael Eckstein boasted that her organization effectively supplements the Israeli state: “We’re a non-governmental organization, but we effectively distribute the aid so well that the government of Israel asks the Fellowship to build projects for them during times of emergency.”

The IFCJ’s contract with TPUSA was inked in the midst of a severe crisis at the house that Charlie built. At the time, Kirk was publicly anguishing over the increasingly onerous demands of those he described as Jewish “stakeholders,” who were threatening to pull their support for TPUSA unless he stopped providing space at his events to conservative critics of Israel like Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly.

“It’s all of the sudden: ‘oh, Charlie: he’s no longer with us.’ Wait a second—what does ‘with us’ mean, exactly? I’m an American, okay? I represent this country,” he fumed to Kelly during an August 6, 2025 podcast.

Kirk had also become an outspoken opponent of US-Israeli plans to wage war on Iran.

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Several People Who Were Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments Got Big Payouts or Were Given Their Jobs Back

Following Charlie Kirk’s death last year, various individuals were either fired, suspended, or disciplined for celebrating his assassination, but since then, several have been reinstated, and some have been paid huge sums of money.

A Reuters report from November revealed that over 600 people were fired or punished for posting about Kirk’s assassination, which occurred Sept. 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University during a TPUSA event.

They included members of law enforcement agencies, nurses, teachers, professors, journalists, entertainers, military members, and more.

The social media account “Libs of TikTok” led the charge, sharing screenshots of posts that either mocked or disparaged Kirk after he was violently shot in the neck.

The most recognizable person to face any consequences was ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. He was initially taken off the air after falsely telling his audience that Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA conservative. However, he was only hit with a brief suspension and soon returned to action.

Some of the individuals who were punished have pushed back and were granted huge paydays because of it.

In June, National Public Radio reported on Maria Ruhtenberg, who had been fired from her job last September, after one of Ruhtenberg’s friends saw one of her Facebook posts about Kirk’s death and complained to her employer.

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Amy Acton’s ‘Assassination Attempt’ Narrative Is Falling Apart

You may have heard about the alleged assassination attempt against Ohio Democrat gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton over the weekend.

“While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people. Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another,” said Addie Bullock, communications director for the Acton campaign.

There’s just one problem. This story is a complete lie.

That statement is carefully worded to make you think Acton was standing in a gunman’s crosshairs. She wasn’t. Acton was never touched, never injured, and never threatened.

An armed man pushed through a crowd at the Canfield Fair on Sunday, knocking down two elderly fairgoers before deputies tackled him and placed him under arrest. Within hours, her campaign and a sympathetic press corps turned an arrest for disorderly conduct into an assassination attempt.

The campaign lied.

Yet, the New York Times, of all outlets, couldn’t even back up the Acton campaign’s version of events.

“An armed man was arrested Sunday after forcing his way through a crowd toward Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, the authorities said,” the paper reported. “Dr. Acton was giving a speech at the Mahoning County Democratic Party tent at a fair in Canfield, in the northeastern part of the state, when a man pushed through the crowd, knocking over two elderly audience members, according to the county sheriff, Jerry Greene, and two witnesses. The man did not draw his weapons, according to Sheriff Greene and the witnesses. Dr. Acton was not injured.”

Had there been even a hint of evidence that this was an assassination attempt or some form of attack against a political candidate, you can bet law enforcement would have treated it as such. But, law enforcement officials made it quite clear there was no assassination attempt, and the suspect is facing misdemeanor assault charges.

The Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as Patrick Havas, an Ohio resident, and released his mugshot after the incident inside a crowded tent at the Canfield Fair near Youngstown. Havas faces two counts of assault for knocking over those elderly attendees and one count of disorderly conduct. He carried two firearms in holsters under a valid Ohio concealed-carry permit and never drew either one. Officers only discovered the guns after they already had him in handcuffs.

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Two Suspects Arrested After Famous Musician and His Family Are Murdered in Mexico

Two suspects were arrested for the murder of rock band keyboardist Jonathan Meléndez and several others, including his wife and child, according to a social media post from Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum.

“In a joint operation by Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México, Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana, and Policía Ciudad de México, two men were arrested on suspicion of being responsible for the homicide of four people,” the Facebook post, translated from Spanish, read.

“Among the victims is a pregnant woman and a minor. The incidents occurred yesterday in Atizapán de Zaragoza, State of Mexico,” the message continued.

“Investigations established that one of the arrested individuals was a partner of one of the victims. He allegedly took advantage of that trust to break into the residence.
“The coordination between the authorities of the State of Mexico, Mexico City, and the Government of Mexico allowed for the location and arrest of both suspects in less than 12 hours.

“In the face of a crime of this magnitude, the authorities acted immediately and in a coordinated manner,” the statement concluded. “The two suspects are already in custody and will be turned over to justice.”


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Philippines Issues Arrest Warrant for VP Sara Duterte for Threatening to Kill President Again

A Philippine trial court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Sara Duterte, in connection with charges against her for threatening the life of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and others.

Duterte faces three counts of issuing “grave threats” against the president, his wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, and his cousin Martin Romualdez, who was speaker of the Philippine House at the time she made the threats in November 2024.

Vice-President Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, came into office in June 2022 as the running mate of another political scion, the son of former president Ferdinand Marcos. They took their oaths of office together as political allies whose landslide election victories would help to heal deep political divisions in the country.

Their political narrative was also one of redemption for controversial parents, as the elder Ferdinand Marcos was a notorious dictator, while Rodrigo Duterte faces allegations of crimes against humanity for his brutal war on drugs.

The Marcos-Duterte alliance broke down rather quickly amid bitter disagreements over major issues, including relations with China and the United States. President Marcos is pro-American, while Duterte leans strongly toward China. They also disagreed over constitutional reforms, peace talks with communist rebels, and independence for the island of Mindanao, the home turf of the Duterte dynasty.

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Leftist Podcaster Arrested for Threats to Kill President Donald Trump

Federal agents have arrested Los Angeles-based leftist podcaster Benjamin Azariah Southworth at his Westlake home Thursday on a grand jury indictment charging him with threatening to kill President Donald Trump, cyberstalking, and making harassing interstate telephone calls.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced that the 40-year-old is accused of posting videos calling for the president’s assassination, then targeting the family of Trump’s personal attorney by publishing a home address and phone numbers and leaving voicemails that justice would “come to your door.”

Essayli said in a post on X, “Threats against the President of the United States are federal crimes. We will not tolerate threats of political violence in the United States. My office will prosecute anyone who crosses that line to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to charging papers obtained by the New York Post, prosecutors say Southworth used Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok from January through May to call for Trump’s death and later claimed some of it was “just rhetoric.”

An April 7 Instagram video cited in the case includes the lines, “I have been vocal in calling for the execution of Donald Trump. This government is illegitimate and out of control. It’s time for course correction. Kill Donald Trump.”

Other posts and texts quoted by prosecutors include statements that he wanted Trump and “his minions dead” and a March video repeating the call to kill the president.

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US Deports Ex-Ecuadorian Minister Tied to Cartel Murder of Presidential Candidate

ICE overrode judge’s decision blocking José Serrano’s removal.

Ex-Ecuadorian minister José Serrano, accused of aiding a cartel murder presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio in 2023, has been deported by ICE.

Ecuadorian conservative Presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was assassinated at a campaign rally in August 2023.

Fernando Villavicencio was reportedly shot in the head three times.

Supporters of the popular conservative, Fernando Villavicencio, managed to capture a suspect after the assassination.

A grenade was also found at the scene.

The criminal gang “Los Lobos,” based in Ecuador, later claimed responsibility for the assassination.

José Serrano’s removal took place even after a US judge blocked Serrano’s removal arguing he may be tortured if returned to the South American nation.

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Armed Trump Golf Course Suspect Had Startling Details on Melania and the Secret Service

An armed man arrested at President Donald Trump’s California golf course earlier this month allegedly possessed hundreds of pages of notes containing information about First Lady Melania Trump’s schedule, U.S. Secret Service personnel and security arrangements, according to reports presented during a Los Angeles County court hearing, as reported by Fox News.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, was arrested Aug. 2 at Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, days before President Trump was scheduled to visit the property.

According to The Associated Press, Taele had more than 200 pages of writings, including schedules for the first lady and members of the president’s Secret Service detail.

Prosecutors also said Taele possessed seven notebooks containing 208 pages of drawings and sketches of the golf course, lists of Secret Service schedules, information about individual security personnel and copies of Melania Trump’s schedule.

The writings reportedly also contained detailed lists concerning how to survive “off the grid.”

Los Angeles County Judge John Lonergan Jr. described the allegations as “alarming” during a hearing Wednesday.

“This case itself is alarming in this day and age with the violence that is creeping into our everyday lives, especially with our partisanship in the political environment” ahead of the midterms, Lonergan said, according to the AP.

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