On August 12, Judicial Watch claimed that the FBI and the Biden-Harris administration were conducting a “massive cover-up regarding the assassination attempt on former President Trump.”
The charges came after the FBI denied a request for records relating to the July 13 Pennsylvania rally where Donald J. Trump was shot by Thomas Matthew Crooks.
Judicial Watch filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI on July 26, seeking documents, emails, presentations and other data related to the FBI’s collaboration with the U.S. Secret Service in preparing for the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was shot in the ear. The request covers the period from June 15 to the present.
The FBI cited exception 7A of the Freedom of Information Act, which allows it to withhold information that would “preclude a person’s right to a fair trial or impartial adjudication.” The FBI did not provide details or context for its use of the exception.
Tom Fitton, executive director of Judicial Watch, said the records denial and its reasoning raise some sharp questions.
“Were there other actors involved in the assassination attempt on President Trump? If not, why did the FBI use the pretext of protecting the right to a fair trial to cover up the inexcusable record of the FBI and Secret Service’s failure to prevent the attempted assassination of President Trump?,” Fitton said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris Administration is conducting a massive cover-up of the assassination attempt on former President Trump.”
The FBI National Press Office declined to comment in an email to The BlazeNews.
“It’s odd that the acting commissioner didn’t acknowledge the work of the local police.”
This was the second denial of a records request that Judicial Watch has faced in connection with the rally at Butler Farm Show that led to the injury of President Trump, the killing of former Volunteer Fire Chief Corey Comperatore, and the severe injury of passers-by David Duch and James Copenhaver.
The Secret Service denied three comprehensive freedom of information requests filed by Judicial Watch on July 16 seeking advance security plans, videos, emails and documents related to the assassination attempt. In justifying the denials, the Secret Service cited exceptions because “disclosure could be reasonably expected to impede the enforcement process.”
Fitton said Judicial Watch is preparing a lawsuit against the FBI and the Secret Service to force them to disclose the documents. He said Judicial Watch has more than 25 pending open records requests to federal, local and state officials and Pennsylvania agencies related to the July 13 assassination attempt.
The fight over records related to the assassination is just the latest attempt to seek greater transparency in the numerous investigations that have been launched since July 13.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle was roundly criticized for her performance by U.S. House members from both major parties during a July 22 hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Photo by Javin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
During hours of testimony, Cheatle dodged and dodged many questions, including about how many shots Crooks fired into the crowd and why he wasn’t considered a threat based on his suspicious behavior. She also said she had not visited the scene of the shooting.
Following the hearings and a crescendo of calls in Congress for her removal, Cheatle resigned on July 23 and was replaced by Acting Director Ronald Rowe Jr.
Appearing before a joint US Senate hearing on July 30, Rowe appeared to shift the blame for the deadly shooting onto local police and was criticized for withholding basic facts about the incident, including for saying the Secret Service didn’t know Crooks was armed until seconds before he opened fire.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said the FBI and Secret Service have not been cooperative.
“The Federal Government [law enforcement] “They’re just keeping quiet. They’re not giving us much information,” Johnson told WABC radio in New York on Aug. 11.
“We have received a report from local law enforcement that one of their officers shot Mr. Crooks,” Johnson said. “This has not been widely reported. We have requested to speak with the officer to learn more.”
“It’s strange that the acting director wasn’t credited. [that] Local police fired shots that could have prevented or ended this shooting,” Johnson said.
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