Trump rally counter-sniper Ben Shaffer gives damning verdict on FBI 'evidence tampering' after assassination attempt

A SWAT counter-sniper who was working the Trump rally in Pennsylvania where a gunman opened fire has issued a damning verdict on the FBI's alleged evidence tampering.

Washington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer admitted that it was 'absolutely' concerning that the roof of the AGR International building where gunman Thomas Matthew Crook, 20, was cleaned quickly after the July 13 assassination attempt.

He also agreed with Republican lawmakers that it was suspicious that Crooks' body was disposed of before an official autopsy could be released at a panel discussion hosted by the Heritage Foundation on Monday.

Shaffer then went on to acknowledge that Crooks should have been elevated from a 'person of interest' to someone 'who would have warranted some type of investigatory detention' by agents because he was using a range finder.

Washington Regional SWAT counter-sniper Ben Shaffer gave a damning verdict on the FBI 's alleged evidence tampering during a Heritage Foundation panel discussion on Monday

The counter-sniper was asked by Rep. Cory Mills, of Florida, about the FBI's decision to clean the sloped roof of the AGR International building - which former Secret Service head Kimberly Cheatle infamously said was too sloped to station an agent.

'Do you find it odd that literally only days after the attempted assassination on President Donald J Trump, while the roof was too sloped to place individuals for counter-sniper operations, that it wasn't too sloped of a roof for the FBI to go ahead and tamper, in my opinion, with evidence by washing the roof off that may have had significant evidence on it?' Mills questioned Shaffer.

'Yes, I do,' he responded.

Mills then went on to question Shaffer about his thoughts on the body of Matthew Crooks being released and cremated.

'Do you also find it odd... that the body of Matthew Crooks had not only been released and cremated, but the coroner who's responsible for releasing the body had no knowledge of it?' he asked.

'Yes, absolutely,' Shaffer said.

Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL who founded Blackwater in the late 1990s, then said: 'It sounds like destruction of evidence.'

Five members of Congress angry that they were not selected for the task force held the hearing-style event at the Heritage Foundation that sought to find answers about the assassination attempt 

The hearing came just about a week after Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), a former police officer and member of the House select task force probing the assassination attempt, released a preliminary six-page report to a bipartisan 13-member task force.

He said that his effort to examine Crooks' body on August 5 created 'quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact... the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after July 13.

'On July 23, Crooks was gone,' Higgins wrote, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

He added that even though the Butler county coroner technically had legal authority over the body he would 'have never released Crooks' body to the family for cremation or burial without specific permission from the FBI.

'The problem with me not being able to examine the actual body is that I won't know 100 percent if the coroner's report and the autopsy report are accurate,' Higgins wrote. 

'We will never actually know,' he argued. 'Yes, we'll get reports and pictures, etc. but I will not ever be able to say with certainty that those reports and pictures are accurate according to my own examination of the body.'

Shaffer was asked if he agreed that it was suspicious that gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks' (pictured) body was disposed of before an official autopsy could be released

Higgins further claimed in his report that the FBI 'cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene', which he says is unheard of.

'Cops don't do that, ever,' he said. 'This pattern of investigative scorched Earth by the FBI is quite troubling.'

But the bureau has denied any wrongdoing.

'Any suggestion the FBI is interfering with congressional efforts to look into the attempted assassination which took place in Butler, Pennsylvania is inaccurate and unfounded,' it said in a statement to the New York Post.

'The FBI has been working closely with our law enforcement partners to conduct a thorough investigation into the shooting and we have followed normal procedures in the handling of the crime scene and evidence.

'The FBI continues its painstaking work on the investigation to develop as complete a picture as possible of what led to the shooting, and we remain committed to maximum transparency as we continue to share information with Congress, which includes participating in open hearings and conducting multiple direct briefings and publish information for the public regarding the ongoing investigation.

'The crime scene was released to the property owners in phases as we completed our work at the AGR building, its surroundings and the Butler Farm Show grounds. Nothing was rushed and everything was documented as part of the investigation,' the bureau added.

It also said it 'arranged for the cleaning of the location where the perpetrator died, which is in keeping with normal procedures.

'The shooter's body was released to his family after coordination with the coroner's office and our state and local law enforcement partners. This is also in keeping with normal procedure.' 

Higgins released his findings on the FBI investigation in an initial report last week

Mills, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division, has now vowed that this 'will not be the last' of its kind.

'This is a message to all of Congress, that if we are not selecting people based on meritocracy, that independent investigations will continue to move forward,' he said.

Meanwhile, several members of the bipartisan group toured Butler, Pennsylvania on Monday.

Several told DailyMail.com that they were shocked at the sheer proximity of the building where Crooks perched close to the rally stage where Trump was speaking on July 13. 

They hobbled up onto the roof of the AGR building where Crooks opened fire just a few hundred yards from the former president, shooting Trump in his right ear.

The lawmakers spent time walking around the rally site to 'get an understanding of the physical space' and 'where this security shortcoming took place,' as Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., explained. 

'And I'll tell you, for many of us, it raises more questions than we came here with today, because we can see it's not a large place,' she noted.

'We can get a sense of the area and just how close these buildings were to that stage where President Trump stood that day. So for all of us, having an opportunity to see and to walk around and experience this, was a really critical step in our investigative process.'

Lawmakers also toured the site of the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on Monday as they try and get to the bottom of the security failures that led to the shooting

 
Ranking Member Jason Crowe (D-Colo.), who served as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan, also claimed the many 'lines of sight that appeared to have been unsecured that day.'

'Certainly at this point, [I have] a lot more questions than answers,' he went on.

Chairman Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) even disclosed that it's too early to completely rule out 'criminal negligence' in a sign that those responsible for the near-death of the former president, and the murder of rally-goer retired firefighter Corey Comperatore, could face criminal charges.

He is also urging his colleagues in Congress to step aside and let the panel complete their investigation before releasing more information about the attempt on the former president's life by Thomas Matthew Crooks.

Higgins further claimed in his report that the FBI 'cleaned up biological evidence from the crime scene, which is unheard of

The FBI has denied any wrongdoing, insisting that it followed its normal procedures

When asked if his colleagues are undermining the task force's efforts, Kelly told DailyMail.com in Butler on Monday: 'As members of Congress, they can do that, but we were the only task force that was put in place by the speaker and the minority leader.'

'I would love for them to wait until we finally find out what really has happened, as opposed to getting out early,' he continued. 'Getting out early is all right, as long as you know when you get out there, what you're saying is actually what took place.'

'We have talented people in Congress right now, and they love to get involved in these things. That's fine, that's fine,' the slightly exacerbated chairman said. 'But there is a task force. It's been appointed by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader.'

'I would like to – just give us the time to get in this. We didn't just start today. This started way back in early August.'