BlackRock Pulls 2022 Ad Featuring Trump Shooter Thomas Crooks
BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, has withdrawn an advertisement that briefly featured Thomas Matthew Crooks, the individual who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Crooks, a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania, wounded Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The ad in question was released in 2022 and featured a teacher from Bethel Park High School, where Crooks was a student at the time. Several unpaid students, including Crooks, appeared in the background. BlackRock issued a statement to Reuters on Sunday, confirming that the ad has been pulled from circulation.
“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,” the company stated. Although the ad has been removed, BlackRock assured that the footage is available for investigators and is still being circulated on social media.
The 30-second commercial highlighted an AP and Honors Economics class attended by Crooks, who graduated the same year the ad aired. He was among a dozen students who received National Math & Science Initiative Star Awards, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The FBI identified Crooks as the shooter who positioned himself on a rooftop approximately 150 yards from the rally venue and fired several rounds, injuring Trump and killing Corey Comperatore, a firefighter. Authorities have yet to release a motive for the attack.
BlackRock expressed its condemnation of the attempted assassination. “The assassination attempt on former President Trump is abhorrent,” the company declared. They have made all video footage available to the appropriate authorities for investigation.
The incident has sparked significant controversy and heightened security concerns for political figures. The removal of the ad featuring Crooks underscores the sensitivity surrounding the event and the need for rigorous background checks in media productions.
