06/06/2026
🚨 NEWLY RELEASED FBI RECORDS: A Butler County Sheriff’s deputy exchanged emails with Thomas Crooks before the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt against Donald Trump, according to documents obtained by the conservative Judicial Watch through a FOIA lawsuit.
The newly released FBI records show the deputy told investigators she had two email communications with Crooks prior to the shooting. However, the FBI heavily redacted the records, leaving the subject matter of the emails and the nature of the interaction hidden from public view.
The documents also reveal that after Crooks was killed, a SWAT officer reportedly searched his pocket and recovered a cell phone and a “gray remote device” with numerical push buttons and an antenna. An emergency responder told investigators that explosive ordnance personnel later arrived to inspect the device after it was recovered from the scene.
The records raise new questions about Crooks’ contacts before the attack and why key details remain redacted nearly two years later. Judicial Watch says its lawsuit seeking additional FBI records related to the Butler shooting remains ongoing.
