Multiple media, e.g. Fox Newsreports that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the suspect in the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, posted on Steam, “Premiering July 13th. Watch as it unfolds.”
Verdict: Misleading
Investigators believed the account may have been linked to Crooks, but it was later determined to be fake, according to multiple sources, and the FBI has reportedly also said the account was fake.
Fact check:
Investigators have yet to determine Crooks' motive for plotting to assassinate Trump. The Washington Post. (Related: No, the video doesn't show Kamala Harris' first presidential ad)
Media outlets quoted sources as saying that Crooks had sent a message on Steam alluding to an assassination attempt. Computer Game Platform It is being moderated by Valve. Fox News reported, “'It will premiere on July 13th so stay tuned to see what happens,'” Crooks, 20, wrote in a post earlier this month.
The allegations stem from a call law enforcement officials had with the Senate, where a source told Fox News' Jackie Heinrich that Thomas Crooks had posted on a gaming platform called “Steam” saying, “My debut will be on July 13th. Watch as it unfolds.”
🚨News: Fox learned during today's all-party briefing that senators were told that Thomas Crooks had written on a gaming platform called “Steam” saying, “My premiere will be on July 13th. Watch as it unfolds.”
When investigators searched the laptop, they found several searches in July for Trump, …
— Jackie Heinrich (@JacquiHeinrich) July 18, 2024
A source familiar with the call told Check Your Facts that investigators said Crooks had a Steam account. report Police said they were investigating whether an account in Crooks' name on the gaming platform Steam had warned of an attack.
CBS News report Investigators believed the account was real, but it later turned out to be fake. CNN cited sources as saying: report Investigators believe the account is fake, as The New York Times reported investigators have determined.
Check Your Fact Steam Account The account that federal agents may have found included Crooks' name and photo, with a caption in the profile that read, “July 13th is my premiere. [sic]watch it all happen.'” According to SteamID, the account name was changed on July 14, the day after the assassination attempt. (Check Your Fact captured a screenshot of the username before it was changed again.)
Screenshot/SteamID
After that, the account Claimed The FBI forced them to change their name (Check Your Fact could not independently verify this claim). Steam ID show The account appears to have changed its name three times since July 14th.
Screenshot/SteamID
Arik Toler, a reporter for the New York Times, stated “The FBI (or anyone who contributed to the Senate report) was fooled by obvious falsehoods.”
Well, let's leave Steam off the list for now, as the FBI (or whoever contributed to the Senate report) was obviously fooled by a fake, although we're pretty sure he had a Steam account, though we don't know what the username was.
—Aric Toler (@AricToler) July 18, 2024
Fox News article After Check Your Fact sent an inquiry, it noted that a federal source told the outlet that the account was fake. A Fox News spokesperson pointed Check Your Fact to an editor's note that read, “Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the latest information on Steam accounts.”
The FBI told Check Your Fact on July 18 that they had no comment. An FBI spokesperson said: NBC News On July 22, the account was declared fake. Check Your Fact reached out again for comment on July 23.
Check Your Fact has reached out to Valve for comment.
