Who was Trump gunman talking to online that he took extreme measures to hide?

Lindsey Graham wondered “if he were talking to some foreign power.” From everything we have discovered about the disgraceful actions of the Secret Service on that day, Graham would do better to wonder if Crooks had been talking to someone in the Secret Service, FBI, or some other government agency. They’ve been trying to destroy Trump with false claims and phony criminal charges for years. But who watches the watchman? Who will investigate those who are supposed to be doing the investigating?

“Trump assassination attempt: Iran threat prompts questions about gunman’s uncracked encryption,” by Michael Ruiz, Fox News, July 31, 2024:

HARRISBURG, Pa. – The FBI investigation into the failed July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has revived the argument over whether Big Tech firms should provide law enforcement with a backdoor method to break their own “unbreakable” encryption.

Weeks before the attempt on Trump’s life, the Secret Service received intelligence warning of an Iranian plot to kill the former president, according to federal law enforcement officials. But while experts are skeptical of any connection between the 20-year-old would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks and Iran, they haven’t been able to access some of his communications 18 days later.

So it remains unclear who he was talking to, if anyone, and what topics would have been discussed.

“I think we’ve experienced a range of returns because some of the applications that he was using online were encrypted in nature,” FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said during a Senate hearing Tuesday under questioning from South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham.

The FBI has gained access to some of his emails, he said, but some of his encrypted communications remained undecipherable Tuesday.

“If he were talking to some foreign power, and I don’t think any foreign power would hire this guy, by the way, so I’m not overly worried, but if this was some great plot by the Iranians, how do we solve this?” Graham asked.

“Senator, you know, as we’ve been saying, we need a solution that provides lawful access,” Abbate said.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies have been seeking – unsuccessfully – backdoor access to encrypted data for years. And while lawmakers have been reluctant to demand it facing privacy and due process concerns, apps that facilitate encrypted communications have become popular not only with private individuals, but also terrorist groups, criminal cartels, drug traffickers and other criminals. They are easy to obtain on Apple and Android phones – and often free to use….