Only thing I can find after a good bit of searching is two paragraphs from a BBC roundup article that states.
Max Smith, who took an American history course with Crooks, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that his former classmate “definitely was conservative”.
Mr Smith recalled a mock debate in which they both took part, saying: “The majority of the class were on the liberal side, but Tom, no matter what, always stood his ground on the conservative side.”
Combining these statements with other statements of him being “a bit weird” and “always alone” I’d suggest that in the case of a mock debate setting where the majority of the class took the liberal side, this weirdo unbound by social chains was simply wiling to adapt the opposing side for the possibility of a mock debate taking place. Standing your ground for the side you’re assigned in such a debate is precisely what you’re supposed to do. I also wouldn’t say it’s surprising that a high schooler would think that a position taken in mock debates can only reflect your actual ideas. He was described as intelligent by several others so I’d say the chances are greater that he was one of the few kids there actually able to argue for an ideal he did not hold.
However main reason why I can see this being an explanation is because it is what I would have done, being a bit of a weirdo loner who didn’t feel particularly inclined to fall in line with the opinions of the majority.
That being said I really don’t feel like these statements paints a particularly reliable idea of what his political ideas may have really been, especially as it is clear that none of them actually knew or cared about the guy.
