Weeks after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, whispers began circulating among lawmakers and investigators that crucial details about the shooter’s online activity had never reached Congress.
Were these omissions accidental, or was vital information deliberately withheld from those tasked with protecting the nation?
Questions are mounting over how much federal investigators actually knew about Thomas Crooks, the gunman who nearly assassinated President Trump during a July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Although the FBI initially claimed little was known about Crooks, Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, says that assertion does not align with what investigators actually discovered. Speaking to The National News Desk, Fallon said critical details were never shared with the congressional task force he chaired, which reviewed the assassination attempt.
“We definitely got stonewalled,” Fallon stated. “When we finally got answers that we thought were fully forthright, now it seems like they weren’t.”
The task force ultimately concluded that the shooting—where a bullet grazed Trump’s ear—could have been prevented. Fallon plans to speak with House Oversight Chairman James Comer about recalling former FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate to testify. Abbate’s 2024 briefing revealed investigators had identified over 700 online posts attributed to Crooks between 2019 and 2020, many containing antisemitic and anti-immigrant content. According to Fallon, the task force never received these details.
“They didn’t share any of the information with us. It was either deliberate or incompetence,” Fallon said via CBS Austin. He emphasized that the Oversight Committee provides the “perfect platform” for further investigation.
While Crooks’ motive remains unclear, the attack had tragic consequences. Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, was killed shielding his family, and two other attendees, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were wounded.
The FBI told us Thomas Crooks tried to kill Donald Trump last summer but somehow had no online footprint. The FBI lied, and we can prove it because we have his posts. The question is why? Story tomorrow.
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) November 13, 2025
Political commentator Tucker Carlson accused the FBI of misleading the public about Crooks’ online presence. On X, he claimed the agency falsely suggested Crooks had no digital footprint and hinted at a cover-up involving current and former officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, Christopher Wray, and Dan Bongino.
Patel defended the investigation, highlighting extensive efforts: over 1,000 interviews, 2,000 public tips, 13 seized devices, nearly 500,000 digital files, hundreds of hours of video, 10 financial accounts, and data from 25 online profiles.
Former FBI Special Agent in Charge Jody Weis told The National News Desk that the bureau has the tools to detect detailed digital histories and believes Crooks should have been flagged.
“For them to say we just didn’t see much there, that we couldn’t identify a motive – I can’t understand why,” Weis said. He added that had Crooks been properly identified, agents would have been able to investigate further and interview him to determine his intent.
Conclusion
The revelations surrounding the Thomas Crooks investigation raise critical questions about the FBI’s transparency and the effectiveness of its threat detection protocols.
As congressional inquiries continue, lawmakers and the public are left to ponder whether systemic failures, deliberate oversights, or simple mismanagement contributed to a near-tragic lapse in national security—and what steps must be taken to prevent future threats from slipping through the cracks.