Wannabe presidential assassin Thomas Crooks utilized the pseudonym "Bob Dole" for online purchases as part of an effort to conceal his activity and minimize his digital footprint, according to federal records.
Crooks, 20, had packages delivered to his parents' home under the alias, which included "parts, tools and items to increase the capacity of his rifle," his father, Matthew Crooks, told the FBI. This was the same weapon his father gifted him on the morning of the July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the younger Crooks shot former President Donald Trump.
It remains unclear why Crooks adopted the name of the late Kansas senator, who was the Republican presidential nominee in 1996. His parents reportedly stated that their son did not show significant interest in politics. According to his father, Thomas began using the pseudonym after his father's bank account was hacked. He also instructed his father on using a virtual private network and a secure browser, suggesting platforms like Cyber Ghost VPN and BraveNet Browser would be less susceptible to hacking.
Matthew Crooks told investigators that his son believed using pseudonyms would prevent his accounts from being compromised. Despite his father's explanation that charges would still be linked to a real name, Thomas continued to use aliases for online purchases.
These FBI documents were obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of his investigation into the assassination attempt on Trump. Last year, officials confirmed that Crooks had at least 35 digital accounts, including foreign-based email accounts from Germany and Belgium, all of which agents could access. At the time, FBI Director Kash Patel stated there was no evidence of a foreign nexus for the assassination attempt.
Prior to using the "Bob Dole" alias, Crooks' profile on a fan art website was reportedly named "epicmicrowave." While his father indicated his son had no strong political allegiances, an interviewee for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) described Thomas Crooks as a "big history buff" interested in politics, who often spoke about "Trump and Biden" after Trump's initial election.