GOP Lawmakers Respond to New Information on Trump Butler Shooting Incident

<p>Republican lawmakers were informed this week about new documents regarding Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump and was subsequently shot dead. Crooks opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. A bullet grazed the then-candidate’s ear, while a rally attendee was killed as he attempted to shield his family.</p><p>Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., who chaired a bipartisan House task force investigating the shooting, stated, "During our piece that we were working on, none of the federal agencies were working with us at all. They were going to work on their own, and they told us, ‘We're going to do ours, and then we'll get back to you.’ So this is two years later. Nobody's gotten back to us." He noted that the House task force's report, released on December 10, 2024, was largely based on input from local authorities with limited federal information.</p><p>Fox News Digital reviewed the documents and found that Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, had searched for ways to prevent his son from accessing firearms in May 2024, approximately two months before the assassination attempt. A source familiar with the task force’s work indicated that this search was not known to House lawmakers during their investigation.</p><p>The task force report corroborates that Matthew Crooks provided Thomas Crooks with the rifle used in the assassination attempt on July 13, 2024. Kelly’s spokesman mentioned that his office was not aware of any federal authorities interviewing Crooks’ family.</p><p>The records were obtained by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, as part of his ongoing inquiry into the Butler assassination attempt. The documents indicate that Thomas’ actions were unexpected for his family, and his motive remains unclear.</p><p>Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee stated they had yet to review the FBI documents but emphasized the need to uncover the full details of the events of July 2024. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., a committee member, remarked that the document release was overdue, but much remains unknown about the incident.</p><p>Hawley called for a comprehensive accounting of the events, citing law enforcement failures. He expressed concerns about the lack of coordination among local and federal law enforcement agencies present during the incident and emphasized the importance of understanding what transpired to prevent future occurrences.</p>