Republican lawmakers expressed surprise this week after receiving previously unseen documents related to the July 2024 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. The records, obtained by Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, show that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20‑year‑old who fired at the rally, received the rifle from his father, Matthew Crooks, just two months before the incident.
House task force says federal agencies were largely absent
Rep. Mike Kelly (R‑PA), who chaired a bipartisan House task force investigating the shooting, told Fox News that the committee received little assistance from federal agencies at the time. “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,” Kelly said.
Kelly added that the task force’s December 10, 2024 report relied heavily on local law‑enforcement information because the Biden administration, which was in office during the attack, did not share relevant files.
New evidence highlights family involvement
Fox News Digital’s review of the documents indicates that Matthew Crooks searched for ways to prevent his son from accessing firearms in May 2024, roughly two months before Thomas Crooks climbed onto a rooftop and opened fire. A source familiar with the task force’s work confirmed that this search was not known to House investigators at the time.
The same source said, “The Task Force report corroborates that Matthew Crooks handed Thomas Crooks the rifle used in the assassination attempt on July 13, 2024.” Kelly’s office later said it was unaware of any federal interviews with the Crooks family.
Senate panel pushes for a full accounting
Senate Judiciary Committee members, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R‑MO), have called for a comprehensive review of the day’s events. Hawley described the lack of coordination among local and federal law‑enforcement agencies as “massive failures” and warned that without a full accounting, the nation risks similar incidents in the future.
“We need a full accounting of everything that happened on that day, all of the failures, law‑enforcement failures that occurred,” Hawley said. He likened the situation to the lingering mysteries surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, emphasizing the need for transparency.
Implications for the Trump administration
President Trump, who survived the grazing bullet to his ear, has repeatedly called for stronger security measures and better coordination among agencies tasked with protecting the President and the public. The newly released documents reinforce the administration’s earlier statements that gaps in information sharing can endanger lives.
While the Trump administration has not yet issued a formal response to the latest revelations, its officials have previously stressed the importance of robust federal‑state cooperation in protecting national leaders and citizens alike.
What comes next?
Senate Judiciary Chair Grassley indicated that the committee will continue to review the newly obtained records and may seek additional testimony from law‑enforcement officials and witnesses present at the Butler rally. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle appear united in demanding a thorough investigation, signaling bipartisan concern over security lapses.
As the investigation unfolds, constituents in Pennsylvania and across the nation will be watching closely to see whether the findings lead to legislative reforms or changes in how federal and local agencies coordinate on security matters.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
