Bank Giant Pulls TV Ad Featuring 'Geeky, Gun-Nut' Would-Be Assassin After Attack on Donald Trump
BlackRock pulled an ad featuring Donald Trump's wannabe assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks.
American investment giant BlackRock pulled an advertisement featuring the gun-nut wannabe assassin who came within inches of blowing off Donald Trump’s head over the weekend.
Thomas Matthew Crooks – the 20-year-old Bethel Park native who fired eight shots at ex-President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday evening – once appeared in a BlackRock ad filmed at Bethel Park High School.
A rep for the investment monolith confirmed: “In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks.”
The rep also confirmed BlackRock was pulling the ad and handing the footage to “the appropriate authorities” in the wake of Saturday’s shooting.
They told the New York Times: “We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities, and we have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims.
“BlackRock strongly condemns political violence of any kind and will do our part to promote civility and unity in the country.”
Crooks appeared in an ad filmed at Bethel Park High School in 2022.
Crooks, who wore glasses and braces in a world-exclusive photo first obtained by RadarOnline.com, was identified as the shooter who climbed atop a roof, laid in a sniper position, and fired off eight bullets from an AR-15 assault rifle at ex-President Trump’s head at approximately 6:10 PM Saturday evening.
One bullet grazed the presidential candidate’s right ear, while another bullet struck and killed fightfighter dad-of-two Corey Comperatore. Two additional rally attendees were critically injured in the shooting.
Details of the shooter and his life have begun to emerge in the wake of Saturday’s assassination attempt, and those close to the 20-year-old registered Republican claimed Crooks was “bullied so much” at school.
Jonathan Myers, a classmate who participated on Bethel Park High School’s rifle team, revealed Crooks was turned away from the shooting team because he was such a bad shot.
Crooks fired eight shots at ex-President Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday.
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Meyers told ABC News: “He didn't just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because how bad of a shot he was, it was considered like, dangerous.”
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Other former classmates, including Jameson Murphy, corroborated Meyers’ claims about Crooks.
Murphy added: “He tried out…and was such a comically bad shot he was unable to make the team and left after the first day.”
Crooks fired several rounds into the rally crowd and toward Trump, killing one attendee and grazing the former president's ear.
Another classmate described Crooks as “concerning” and “inappropriate,” saying: “We noticed a few things Thomas said and how he interacted with other people. He said some things that were kind of concerning."
“He made some crass jokes that weren't appropriate when there are firearms in the school setting.”
The bumbling Secret Service – who have come under intense scrutiny for their failure to stop Crooks before he was able to fire off a round of bullets at Trump – later found explosive devices inside the lone gunman’s car.
Authorities also recovered the AR-15 used in the assassination attempt against the 45th president’s life and found the firearm was registered to Crooks’ father.
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