Andrew Torba, CEO of the social media platform Gab, disclosed on X that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the individual who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, might have had a pro-Biden account on Gab.
According to Torba’s posts, Gab was informed about 30 minutes before his announcement that Crooks, labeled a “deranged Biden supporter” by Torba, possibly maintained an account on their platform. However, Gab has not confirmed whether the account genuinely belonged to Crooks. “The account was last active on the site in 2021. As far as we are aware, the account did not use the site to send any direct messages,” Torba tweeted.
Gab, a social media platform known for its stance on free speech and minimal content moderation, was launched in 2016 by Andrew Torba and Ekrem Büyükkaya as an alternative to more mainstream platforms like Twitter and Facebook, which they believed were excessively censoring conservative viewpoints. The site has often been associated with conservative users, as it has attracted a significant number of individuals and groups who have been banned from other social networks.
The social media CEO further noted that although the account had minimal activity with only nine posts, “the majority of them were in support of President Biden.” These posts reportedly praised Biden’s COVID-19 lockdown measures, border policies, and executive orders. Torba also revealed that Gab has preserved the account data and is awaiting a search warrant.
Approximately 30 minutes ago, Gab learned that Thomas Crooks, the deranged Joe Biden supporter who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, may have had an account on our platform. We are unable to confirm that the account in question actually belonged to him.
The… pic.twitter.com/BcJrZJ4Yhk
— Andrew Torba (@BasedTorba) July 24, 2024
Approximately 30 minutes ago, Gab learned that Thomas Crooks, the deranged Joe Biden supporter who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump, may have had an account on our platform. We are unable to confirm that the account in question actually belonged to him.Torba suggested that there has been an effort to suppress and deny any connection between Crooks and Biden by Democrats and media outlets supportive of them. “If the past is any guide, defying the D.C. consensus by publishing the first definitive evidence that the shooter was a Biden supporter has a high probability of resulting in significant political and media backlash,” Torba wrote.
— Andrew Torba (@BasedTorba) July 24, 2024
According to Torba, Gab has previously faced “politically motivated inquiries” from governmental bodies like the House Oversight Committee and the Joint Committee on the January 6th Attacks. The committees have allegedly tried to interfere with Gab’s mission of protecting free speech online. Torba also pointed out that this exposure comes with “significant personal and business risk” and hinted at potential legal ramifications. The evidence provided by Torba is yet to be verified and confirmed as directly linked to Crooks.
Gab became notably involved in political discussions and controversies, particularly in relation to its user base’s political leanings and the content shared on the platform. The platform, however, has prided itself on upholding free expression and has been criticized for hosting controversial content. This has led to various challenges, including being denied services by several web hosting providers and being removed from app stores.
The FBI is still on the hunt for any manifesto or clues that might explain why 20-year-old Crooks launched a violent attack that left two Trump rally attendees injured, killed a retired volunteer fire chief named Corey Comperatore, and nearly took the life of former President Trump.
During Wednesday’s congressional hearing, FBI Director Christopher Wray unveiled disturbing new evidence about Thomas Crooks, who demonstrated clear premeditation in his actions and used historical presidential assassinations as a blueprint.
“Analysis of a laptop that the investigation ties to the shooter reveals that on July 6th, he did a Google search for, quote: ‘how far away was Oswald from Kennedy?’” Wray said on Wednesday. “So that’s a search that obviously is significant in terms of his state of mind,” Wray continued. “That is the same day that it appears that he registered for the Butler rally.”
WATCH:
Oswald, who assassinated President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, was about 265 feet away from the president when he fired the shots from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository in Dallas, Texas.
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