Trump voters believe assassination conspiracy

Almost half of Donald Trump supporters believe the conspiracy theory that more than one person was involved in the assassination attempt on the former president, according to exclusive Newsweek polling.

The poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies exclusively for Newsweek, found that 47 percent of Republican voters believe that multiple people were involved in a conspiracy to assassinate Donald Trump.

Meanwhile, 36 percent of Republicans involved in the survey said they believe only one person was involved, while 17 percent said they don’t know. That is compared to 22 percent of Democrats who said they believe multiple people were involved, while 58 percent said one person was solely responsible, and 21 percent said they don’t know.

Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign for comment via email.

On July 13, a gunman—Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20—opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, clipping the former president in his right ear.

Crooks was shot and killed by the Secret Service at the scene. A rally attendee was also killed in the shooting incident and two others were critically injured.

Since the shooting, conspiracy theories lacking substantial evidence have circulated online. One theory suggests that Crooks wasn’t the sole shooter, but that there was a second gunman near the rally venue, with some claiming there was another person atop a water tower.

Such theories have been pushed by Republican Senator Ron Johnson, who told Fox News: “Was it one rifle? Was it more than one? I’ve seen some pretty interesting video on the internet by experts that does certainly call into question what the FBI is telling us about a single shooter.”

Johnson did not specify what videos or experts he was referring to.

There is no evidence to suggest anyone other than Crooks was involved in the shooting.

In a statement released on July 14, the FBI said: “While the investigation to date indicates the shooter acted alone, the FBI continues to conduct logical investigative activity to determine if there were any co-conspirators associated with this attack.”

A spokesperson for the Secret Service also previously told Newsweek: “While the investigations are still open and ongoing, there is no evidence found at this time of a second shooter.”

Following the incident, the Secret Service came under fire for allegedly failing to protect Trump from the shooter, who fired at the former president from on top of a roof of a building less than 200 yards from the podium where he was speaking to supporters.

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted in testimony to Congress that the assassination attempt against Trump was “the most significant operational failure at the Secret Service in decades.” She later resigned from her role.

Newsweek’s polling shows that 64 percent of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “The Secret Service failed in their duty to protect Donald Trump during the rally where he was shot,” with only 13 percent disagreeing or strongly disagreeing, and 23 percent choosing the “neither agree or disagree” or “don’t know” options.

Among Republican voters polled, 81 percent said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, while only 8 percent said they disagreed or strongly disagreed. Among Democrats, 55 percent said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, while 19 percent said they disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Meanwhile, 54 percent of those polled supported Cheatle’s decision to resign, while 11 percent opposed it. Her decision was supported by 70 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of Democrats. Some 7 percent of Republicans opposed the decision, as well as 16 percent of Democrats.

Newsweek has contacted the Secret Service for comment via email.