BlackRock Inc. Unwittingly Linked to Trump Assassination Attempt?

Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on Saturday, was previously featured in an advertisement for the multinational investment company BlackRock Inc., according to Bloomberg.

The connection surfaced as federal authorities delved into Crooks’ background to determine the specific motive behind his attack on Trump during a campaign speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.

BlackRock stated that their connection to Crooks was coincidental. The 20-year-old appeared as an unpaid extra in a 2022 ad the money management giant filmed at Bethel Park High School, which Crooks attended before graduating the same year the ad was created, according to the report.

While the company did not detail the ad, they confirmed it would no longer be used and would be handed over to authorities.

“The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent. We’re thankful former President Trump wasn’t seriously injured and thinking about all the innocent bystanders and victims of this awful act, especially the person who was killed,” BlackRock said in a statement.

A video purportedly showing the ad featuring Crooks circulated on social media on Sunday.

BlackRock faced criticism in 2022 for allegedly using its funds to promote left-leaning societal changes.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis criticized CEO Larry Fink at the time, according to USA Today.

“I think it’s undemocratic of major asset managers to use their power to influence societal outcomes,” Patronis said. “If Larry, or his friends on Wall Street, want to change the world — run for office. Start a non-profit. Donate to the causes you care about. Using our cash, however, to fund BlackRock’s social-engineering project isn’t something Florida ever signed up for.”

Until his death at the hands of a federal sniper, Crooks worked as a dietary aide at the Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, administrator Marcie Grimm said, according to ABC News.

Grimm mentioned he passed a background check and “performed his job without concern.”

Kevin Rojek, Pittsburgh special agent in charge for the FBI, said officials are still trying to uncover any political ideology Crooks might have followed.

“We’re looking into his background, his day-to-day activities, any writings, and social media posts that might help us identify what led to this shooting. And we have not seen anything threatening,” Rojek said.

Crooks “was somebody who came across as lonely a lot,” said Jameson Myers, who claimed to have attended both elementary and high school with the suspect.

The would-be assassin was “more socially reserved” and someone who “didn’t have a ton of friends,” he said.

“I was friends with him — he never acted, like, by any means a political revolutionary,” Myers said.

He noted that his former classmate tried to join the school’s rifle team but was rejected.

“He didn’t just not make the team, he was asked not to come back because [of] how bad of a shot he was,” Myers said. “It was considered, like, dangerous.”

Classmate Zoe Materkowski described Crooks as “just a quiet kid.”

“He was a loner,” added Jason Kohler, who was a year ahead of Crooks in school. “He would sit alone at lunch.”

Matthew Crooks, the shooter’s father, said he was trying to figure out “what the hell is going on” concerning his son but would “wait until I talk to law enforcement” before making further comments, according to CNN.