Not only was the shooter who tried to assassinate Donald Trump a registered Republican, but his father was labeled as "a strong Republican supporter, gun owner, and hunter" by the Trump campaign after they secretly profiled him in 2016.
"Thomas Crooks' father, the owner of the rifle that was used to shoot at Donald Trump, was held on a database and profiled by the former president's election campaign," reports Britain's Channel 4 News, adding that 53-year-old Matthew Crooks, who legally bought the AR-15 used in the assassination attempt, was "part of [the Trump campaign's] secret Republican project to gather data on millions of gun owners across America and use it to target pro-gun messages in the run-up to the 2016 election."
Crooks scored extremely high on a "secret computer model" used to determine a person's gun enthusiasm and loyalty to the MAGA party. "Mr. Crooks scored very highly," Channel News reports, revealing ".99 out of 1 for being a gun owner, and .95 out of 1 for being a hunter. … The database classified him as a 'Strong GOP' or Republican voter." (See video below, posted by Republicans against Trump.)
From The Independent:
The campaign's private database analyzed 6.7 million people in the Keystone State, a crucial battleground in the race for president, listing Matthew Crooks, a registered Libertarian, as among the top 20 prospects of 19,000 residents in the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, Channel 4 reported. He scored highly "across a range of gun-related [data] models," according to the outlet, and was flagged by the Trump team as a voter "who could be susceptible to political messages about gun-rights." …
Crooks' mother, a Democrat, was also singled out by Trump's campaign as a likely gun owner who was potentially receptive to such messaging.
Overall, the Trump campaign ranked roughly 50 million individuals in 10 swing states, using the firearms-specific data models, according to Channel 4, which called the data-ming program "secretive." …
The family is said to be cooperating with authorities. Shortly after he opened fire, Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service snipers.
Previously: FBI chief says warrantless spying on Americans is essential
