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BlackRock, an American multinational investment company, was put in the unusual position this week of having to pull a TV ad that actually featured the man who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump.
20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks of of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania appears in a BlackRock ad that was filmed at Bethel Park High School.
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, said in a statement to Fox Business, “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.
“As our leadership team communicated to colleagues last night, BlackRock strongly condemns political violence of any kind and will do our part to promote civility and unity in the country.
“In 2022, we ran an ad featuring a teacher from Bethel Park High School, in which several unpaid students briefly appeared in the background, including Thomas Matthew Crooks.
“We will make all video footage available to the appropriate authorities, and we have removed the video from circulation out of respect for the victims.”
Forbes reports that former classmates of Thomas Matthew Crooks “remember him as a quiet loner who ‘just wanted to stay by himself’ and was an easy target for bullying, even once being called a ‘school shooter’ by other students.”
One former high school classmate said Crooks was “just a outcast,” while another said he was teased for poor hygiene and body odor. A third former classmate was surprised that Crooks would target Donald Trump, saying, “He definitely was conservative… It makes me wonder why he would carry out an assassination attempt on the conservative candidate?”
He also, according to another former high school classmate, tried out for the Bethel Park High School rifle team, but didn’t make the team because he missed the targets “by close to 20 feet” and was a “terrible shot.”
Crooks was shot and killed by Secret Service after firing off eight shots using a legally purchased AR-style rifle at Donald Trump’s campaign rally on Sunday. He was identified after his death using his DNA and biometric information. The FBI also reported finding explosive materials inside his home which are now “being evaluated at the FBI Laboratory.”