Mysterious ‘Anonymous Donor’ Paid for Cremation of Trump’s Would-Be Assassin
Thomas Matthew Crooks, a 20-year-old who nearly assassinated President Donald Trump in 2024, recently had his cremation paid for by an anonymous donor, according to federal records. The incident occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, and details about the case were provided to Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Chuck Grassley. Crooks had mailed packages of gun parts under an alias and shot at Trump during a rally, grazing his ear and injuring others before being shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper. His body was returned to his family less than two weeks after the attack, with his parents unable to afford the funeral due to financial difficulties. The identity of the donor remains unknown, raising questions about the motives behind funding his cremation. The case continues to attract media attention due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding Crooks’ death and the lack of detailed public details.
The cremation of Thomas Matthew Crooks — the now-deceased 20-year-old who nearly assassinated President Donald Trump — was paid for by an “anonymous donor,” according to federal records.
The New York Post reported on Tuesday that documents surrounding the harrowing incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 2024, say an “anonymous donor paid for cremation.”
That note was found at the end of a summary of an interview with Crooks’ father.
The document — which was provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa — said that information was obtained from a family attorney.
🚨 BREAKING: Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks had packages of gun parts delivered to him under the pseudonym ‘Bob Dole,’ and an anonymous donor paid for his body to be cremated, according to federal records obtained by Fox News Digital pic.twitter.com/v1moKrwstG
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 15, 2026
Because Crooks’ father was retired and his mother was on leave from work, they had difficulty paying for the funeral expenses.
Elsewhere in the documents, Crooks’ father said he was “unemployed.”
Rep. Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, was the first to reveal the fact that Crooks was cremated.
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: An “anonymous donor” PAID for the cremation of attempted Butler PA Trump assassin Thomas Crooks, and he received suspicious packages under the Alias “BOB DOLE” — Fox News
What in the world?!
Who is this ANONYMOUS donor paying to cremate his body and why are… pic.twitter.com/G46BFINQwI
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 15, 2026
The body of the would-be presidential assassin — who fatally shot local firefighter Corey Comperatore and seriously wounded two other rally attendees — was given back to the family less than two weeks after the attempted slaying of Trump.
Higgins wrote in a letter that he tried to examine the body on Aug. 5, 2024, but learned the FBI “released the body for cremation” a mere “10 days” after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt.
It’s stunning how little we still know about Thomas Crooks more than two years after he tried to kill President Trump—and very nearly succeeded. https://t.co/HlMLvIiIsT
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) September 16, 2026
Crooks managed to fire eight shots before he was killed by a Secret Service sniper.
The assassination attempt — during which Trump was grazed in the ear — provoked a reckoning at the Secret Service and other agencies charged with keeping Trump safe on the campaign trail.
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