The FBI has concluded that Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone in his 2024 attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The 20-year-old would-be assassin struck Trump’s ear with a bullet during a July 2024 campaign rally, missing a fatal shot at the soon-to-be 47th president and instead killing rally attendee Corey Comperatore. It was the first assassination attempt on a former or current president since the 1981 attempt on Ronald Reagan’s life, and set off a firestorm of questions from the public, politicos, and lawmakers.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency has been combing through the investigation since the second Trump administration began in January, telling Fox News Digital, which first broke the story of the conclusion, that this was a “day one priority.”
“We fully briefed the president, as a victim of this case, at the White House, providing him with all of the details of our investigation, and the president was satisfied with the results and where we left it,” Patel said.
Patel and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s interview with the network came one week after Patel dropped logistical details of the investigation in an X post, following over a year of calls for more transparency and information on the case from the public.
“The investigation, conducted by over 480 FBI employees, revealed Crooks had limited online and in person interactions, planned and conducted the attack alone, and did not leak or share his intent to engage in the attack with anyone,” Patel wrote.
He said on Nov. 14 that the FBI “conducted over 1,000 interviews, addressed over 2,000 public tips, analyzed data extracted from 13 seized digital devices, [and] reviewed nearly 500,000 digital files,” as part of the investigation. He also pointed to extensive video footage, financial accounts, and social media account sweeps the agency conducted.
Patel and Bongino addressed the public’s concerns over a lack of information about the case, which had led to social media conspiracies and unanswered questions.
“My predecessor went to Congress and said he didn’t know if it was a bullet that hit President Trump in the head. The whole world knew it was a bullet,” Patel said, referring to former FBI Director Christopher Wray. “For the No. 1 law enforcement officer to say that — it causes a massive disbelief in the institution that Dan and I are now running.”
Bongino attempted to quell any conspiratorial concerns from the public in the interview with Fox.
“We have reviewed this case over and over, looked into every nugget. We have spoken to the families, the president — there is no cover-up here,” Bongino said. “There is no motive for it, there is no reason for it.”
Patel, Bongino, and a third anonymous official involved in Fox’s interview also dispelled rumors that a foreign entity was involved in the attempt, saying they had reached out to foreign governments and concluded that there was “no foreign connection” in the case.
As for the current status of the investigation into Crooks, the anonymous FBI official told Fox, “If we get a credible lead, we’ll continue to investigate.”
“The director has been very clear about leaving no stone left unturned, and that is what we are committed to,” the official said.
FBI DENIES SAYING THOMAS CROOKS HAD NO ONLINE FOOTPRINT. HERE’S WHAT IT REALLY SAID
In July, Trump said he was “satisfied” with the investigation.
The FBI did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s requests for comment.