'Not normal': Oversight chair weighs in on cremation of Trump would-be assassin
Comer said his committee is reviewing new FBI records and may seek further testimony as it examines the attempted assassination investigation.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates WACH, which republished this story. The other scores rate the article itself.
WACH is an established local broadcaster, and the article attributes its account to a news desk and identifies the principal sources. The supplied information does not establish its correction practices or provide much detail about the desk’s reporting standards.
- Source type — WACH is a local television news outlet, a generally credible source for reported news.
- Author attribution — The article is attributed to The National News Desk, though no individual reporter is named.
- Transparency — The article identifies quoted officials and attributes their claims, but offers limited detail about its reporting process.
- Correction history — No correction-policy or correction-history information is provided here.
The article includes direct comments from Comer and Blanche and distinguishes their claims from the FBI’s stated view that Crooks acted alone. It offers limited independent context or response from the FBI, and several consequential details are described broadly as coming from newly released documents.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The story includes the FBI’s conclusion that Crooks acted alone, but most of the account and quotations center on Comer’s criticisms and unresolved questions. The article provides little direct response from the FBI to those criticisms.
- Counterarguments presented — The FBI’s lone-actor conclusion is included, but there is no direct FBI response to Comer’s concerns.
- Source diversity — Comer and Blanche are quoted; the FBI’s position is reported without a quoted representative.
- Loaded language — The article’s own narration is largely restrained, while more forceful judgments are attributed to sources.
The article mainly reports attributed statements and document details in relatively neutral language. Its focus on Comer’s suspicions and criticism of the FBI is balanced to some extent by the report that the FBI has maintained Crooks acted alone.
- Language tone — Mostly neutral reporting language, with charged statements presented as quotations and attributed to their speakers.
- Source selection — Comer and Blanche provide most of the quoted perspective; the FBI’s position is summarized rather than represented by a direct response.
- Framing — The article foregrounds unanswered questions about the investigation without asserting that the questions prove wrongdoing.
Republished
Republished from Thenationaldesk. The relationship between the two publishers has not been determined.
Not rated.
Newly released FBI documents detail the investigation of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, including the anonymous payment for Thomas Crooks’ cremation. House Oversight Chairman James Comer said his committee still has questions about the FBI’s handling of the case and is reviewing the new information.
Newly released FBI documents say Thomas Crooks used the alias “Bob Dole” to receive packages and that an anonymous donor paid for his cremation days after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The documents also describe Crooks’ contacts with unidentified people before the attack. Attorney General Todd Blanche said some details about Crooks’ background had not previously been known. Comer said information from the FBI had been slow to reach the public and that questions remain about the investigation and Crooks’ remains; the FBI has maintained that Crooks acted alone.
Comer said his committee is reviewing the documents and earlier testimony and could seek further testimony from former FBI Director Christopher Wray. Separately, he said the House Oversight Committee advanced a report recommending that the full House hold Leon Black in contempt over subpoenas related to the Epstein investigation. Comer also described a bill he introduced that would let survivors of sexual abuse speak to Congress or law enforcement despite nondisclosure agreements, and said survivors he consulted supported it.
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SWIPE →House Oversight Committee chairman discussing the FBI investigation, committee oversight, and related congressional actions
Attorney General who commented on information in the newly released records
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Former FBI director whom Comer said the committee could call for further testimony
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