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Conservative watchdog Judicial Watch has forced the release of FBI records that paint a chilling picture of would-be assassin Thomas Crooks in the moments before he opened fire on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The documents reveal that Crooks was not merely a disturbed loner acting in isolation, but was reportedly involved in an altercation and making ‘hateful comments’ directed at Trump while still on the ground at the rally site.
According to the newly released FD-302 investigative reports, a female witness told FBI agents that Crooks ‘had an altercation with a group of people in the area’ prior to the shooting. This same witness observed Crooks climbing the building shortly after the confrontation, raising serious questions about how such an obvious red flag went unheeded by security personnel who should have been protecting the President of the United States.
Another rally attendee corroborated the account, telling agents that Crooks was making ‘hateful’ comments toward Trump just before the former president took the stage. This witness wasn’t sure if Crooks was filming the event or speaking with someone on his cell phone, which only adds to the mystery of whether this young man was acting alone or as part of something larger.
The documents also reveal that another woman had contacted the National Threat Operations Center to report a ‘suspicious individual’ acting ‘very nervous’ in the parking lot, even going so far as to photograph the license plate of his Hyundai vehicle. How many warnings did the FBI need? When ordinary citizens are doing the legwork that federal law enforcement should have been doing, we have to ask ourselves what exactly our billions in tax dollars are paying for.
President Trump was shot in the ear during the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt, and firefighter Corey Comperatore lost his life shielding his family from the gunfire. The fact that we are only now learning about these witness accounts, thanks to Judicial Watch’s FOIA lawsuit rather than transparent disclosure from federal authorities, should trouble every American who believes in accountability.
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