Trump shooting task force obtains 'gruesome' autopsy for Thomas Crooks

The leader of the congressional committee investigating the assassination attempt on Donald Trump says the autopsy report of shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks is stomach-churning. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., the top Republican in charge of the probe told DailyMail.com that the report and its grisly details are 'gruesome.' However, he did not provide a timetable for when the autopsy would be released publicly.

Kelly, who represents Butler, Pennsylvania , where the shooting occurred, has led several investigative trips to the fairgrounds where Trump spoke to further uncover details about the tragedy that left one dead and several, including the former president, injured. On Tuesday, Kelly exclusively told DailyMail.com that the autopsy should not be seen by those who 'don't have a strong stomach.' Though he admitted he has not fully reviewed the coroner's report, he assured DailyMail.com the contents were horrific. 'The autopsy, there's a warning that goes with it,' Kelly continued. 'It's pretty graphic.'

He also mentioned how it is 'really important' to remember the Crooks family when considering the autopsy, noting how they 'lost somebody' that fateful day as well. Kelly also disclosed that the FBI told him Crooks exhibited strange behavior before the shooting. That included 'walking around the house talking to himself' and 'flapping his arms,' Punchbowl news first reported. 'There was some indication that something was wrong,' the chairman said. Former First Lady Melania Trump also has questions that remain unanswered in the shooting saga.

'The attempt to end my husband's life was a horrible, distressing experience,' Melania said in a video released Tuesday . 'Now the silence around it feels heavy. I can't help but wonder why didn't law enforcement officials arrest shooter before the speech. There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth,' she added. The video was in promotion of her upcoming memoir, but the pointed remarks about her husband's near-death experience stirred questions over whether she has been satisfied by the investigation and response to the tragedy. And as the slow drip of information related to the shooting continues, a new report indicates that a top Secret Service leader has been asked to step down.

The Office of Protective Operations Assistant Director Michael Plati has been asked by his bosses to retire, Fox News first reported Tuesday morning. It indicated that Plati will end his service with the agency in the coming days. Sources told the outlet that the move is related to the agency's performance during Trump's Butler shooting on July 13. Plati was apparently asked to step down by the top brass, including Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who previously testified before Congress about the assassination attempt.

The agency reportedly also has another briefing planned for Congress in the coming days. But a Secret Service spokesperson told DailyMail.com that Plati is stepping down on his own accord. 'Assistant Director Plati was not asked to resign or retire by anyone. This was a personal decision that he has made and we thank him for his 27 years of dedicated service to the federal government,' they said in a statement. The spokesperson also addressed whether Plati would be called on to testify before Congress. 'The U.S. Secret Service respects the role of oversight,' they said.

'We have and will continue to make employees available for transcribed interviews and to date we've provided over 2,400 pages of responsive documentation to Congress.' 'These efforts will continue as our desire to learn from this failure and ensure that it never happens again is unwavering,' the statement concluded. The new revelations come as Congress continues to probe the shooting in their own investigation and as whistleblowers cry fowl on how the agency operates. In August, a whistleblower is claimed to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., that the lead Secret Service agent in charge of Donald Trump's deadly Butler, Pennsylvania, rally was 'inexperienced' and 'failed to implement appropriate security protocols.'

The shocking testimony came from a whistleblower with direct knowledge of the event, Hawley said. Concerned over this lead agent, who was 'still doing protective visits' as of early August, Hawley demanded in a letter to Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe that the 'ineffective' lead site agent be suspended and investigated immediately. 'Your refusal to hold this individual accountable is increasingly inexplicable,' Hawley wrote in the letter to the Secret Service boss.

Rep. Clay Higgins, a Louisiana Republican who was appointed to Congress' bipartisan task force reviewing the assassination attempt, also has run into trouble while reviewing the shooting. He tried to view Crooks' body on August 5 as part of his own personal inspection. The former police captain said his request to view the body 'caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact'.

It was at this point that he learned that the FBI had 'released the body for cremation 10 days' after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. Higgins says 'nobody knew' that the body had been returned to the family, including the county coroner and local enforcement. He writes that the coroner still had 'legal authority over the body' when the FBI made this decision and accuses the agency of 'obstruction'.

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