The parents of Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old who took a shot at Donald Trump last month, are making some interesting legal moves, almost as if they’re trying to cover their tracks. Amid an FBI investigation that’s digging into just how much they knew about their son’s assassination plot, the Crooks have quietly brought in some heavy-hitting lawyers. It seems the Crooks clan is preparing for a full-blown legal showdown, with questions swirling about how much they knew before their son Thomas decided to play an assassin.

The FBI, finally getting around to doing their job, isn’t letting up in their investigation into just how much the Crooks family knew—or pretended not to know—before their 20-year-old son, Thomas, took a shot at Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Turns out, Thomas’s 53-year-old father, Matthew Crooks, is a big-time gun enthusiast with a history of selling firearms to relatives—a detail that’s raising more than a few eyebrows, especially with the feds finally paying attention.

Florida Congressman Mike Waltz has cast serious doubts on the FBI’s assertion that Thomas Crooks acted alone in his attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. Waltz pointed out that the agency’s confidence in their lone-wolf theory seems questionable, given the complexity of Crooks’s preparations.

The young shooter didn’t just show up with a gun—he had encrypted messaging accounts, homemade explosives, and a well-thought-out plan, all of which suggest a level of coordination that doesn’t fit neatly into the FBI’s narrative. According to Waltz, there are too many unanswered questions and too many loose ends for anyone to comfortably buy into the idea that Crooks was the sole player in this high-stakes drama. For Waltz and others watching this case closely, the FBI’s story feels incomplete and unsatisfactory.

The Crooks have wisely chosen to hire Quinn Logue, a top Pittsburgh law firm known for handling high-profile cases. The firm’s founding attorneys are often recognized as some of the best in the region, and they’re clearly ready for both criminal and civil battles. It seems they’re preparing not just for possible criminal charges but also for lawsuits from the victims’ families. Matthew Crooks has been mum on the specifics of his son’s actions and motives, leaving many to speculate about the extent of his awareness.

The shooter, Thomas Crooks, came within a hair’s breadth of taking out Trump on July 13th, unleashing a barrage of bullets at a rally. The chaos resulted in one fatality and several serious injuries. The Secret Service acted swiftly, neutralizing Crooks within 26 seconds of his first shot.

Since the incident, federal investigators have been digging into Thomas’s online activity and background, including his fascination with Michigan mass shooter Ethan Crumbley.

Thomas Crooks love of guns, appears to be passed down from father to son. Thomas got an AR-15-style rifle from his father legally, and regularly practice shooting at the Clairton Sportsmen’s Club.

In the aftermath, the FBI confiscated an arsenal from the Crooks’s residence, including firearms, explosives, and even a drone. Despite the extensive haul, a clear motive remains elusive. It’s speculated that Thomas might have simply been driven by a desire to commit a mass shooting, choosing Trump’s rally as a convenient opportunity.

A family friend has hinted at Thomas’s deteriorating mental health over the years, though it remains unclear whether he was ever formally diagnosed or treated.

As the FBI continues to sift through the wreckage of this tragic event, and as the Crooks prepare for a potential legal showdown, the public is left to ponder the full extent of what was known—and when.