Rep. Higgins says FBI gave Thomas Crooks’ body to his family for cremation days after Trump shooting

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said he found out that the FBI gave attempted Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ body to his family to be cremated just days after he attempted to kill the 45th president. 

“My effort to examine Crooks’ body on Monday, August 5, caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact… the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after (July 13),” Higgins' report reads.

Last month, Crooks attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was shot in the ear while one man was killed and two other rally goers were injured. 

Higgins was put on the bipartisan task force investigating the security failures that took place on the day of the rally.

“On J23, Crooks was gone. Nobody knew this until Monday, August 5, including the County Coroner, law enforcement, Sheriff, etc.," the report continued. "Yes, Butler County Coroner technically had legal authority over the body, but I spoke with the Coroner, and he would have never released Crooks’ body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI."

"The problem with me not being able to examine the actual body," Higgins added in the report, "is that I won’t know 100% if the coroner’s report and the autopsy report are accurate. We will actually never know."

Higgins said that the FBI giving the body to his family just days after the attempted assassination is an "obstruction."