New Insights on Thomas Matthew Crooks and the Trump Assassination Attempt

This week, Republican lawmakers were caught off guard by new findings concerning Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to kill President Donald Trump before being shot dead.

The incident occurred during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, where a bullet grazed Trump’s ear; tragically, a rally attendee was killed while trying to protect his family.

Rep. Mike Kelly from Pennsylvania, who chaired a bipartisan House task force investigating the shooting, expressed his frustration to Fox News. He mentioned that federal agencies had not collaborated with them. They informed the task force, “We’re going to do ours, and then we’ll get back to you,” which—surprisingly—has yet to happen two years later.

He noted that information from the Biden administration was inaccessible at that time. Kelly further pointed out that much of the task force’s report, released on December 10, 2024, relied heavily on local authorities rather than federal sources.

Kelly commented, “It’s pretty odd that whenever we inquired, responses were vague. We had limited time to achieve our goal, and ultimately our report was based largely on local law enforcement’s input with minimal federal insights.”

In reviewing relevant documents, Fox News Digital found that Crooks’ father had actively searched for ways to prevent his son from obtaining firearms just two months before the assassination attempt. This critical detail was previously unknown to House lawmakers during their investigation.

A source with knowledge of the task force shared that Matthew Crooks had actually handed the rifle used in the assassination attempt to his son.

Interestingly, Kelly’s office was unaware of any federal inquiries involving Crooks’ family.

The records, obtained by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, reveal that Crooks’ actions shocked his family, and his motives remain unclear. Some Senate Judiciary Committee members stated they had yet to examine the FBI documents, but emphasized that it’s crucial to unveil all details surrounding the attack.

Sen. Josh Hawley, a member of the committee, commented that the recent information release was overdue, asserting that numerous unanswered questions still linger.

When discussing the father’s efforts to restrict his son’s access to guns, Hawley raised concerns about whether any erratic behavior was reported, highlighting a potential oversight.

Reflecting on the scene days after the incident, Hawley recalled how easily someone could have accessed the rooftop where Crooks fired at Trump and criticized the lack of coordination among local and federal law enforcement on the day of the attack.

He stressed the need for a complete account of the events, remarking, “What we know so far mostly comes from whistleblowers. Without transparency, we risk repeating history; we can’t afford to not understand what happened.” He voiced a worry that it could become a version of the JFK situation where mysteries lingered for decades.

Ultimately, Hawley concluded, “We owe it to the American people to investigate thoroughly and identify what went wrong, as there were evident failures.”