FBI Records Show Crooks’ Mysterious Chat and Drone Photos
New FBI records reveal mysterious chat thread and drone photos linked to Trump assassination attempt.
2 min read
Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch has obtained 249 pages of FBI records related to Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump on July 13, 2024. Crooks climbed onto the roof of the AGR building, positioned himself to shoot Trump, and fired at the former president, resulting in a gunshot wound to Trump’s ear and the fatal shooting of firefighter Corey Comperatore.
Documents Still Withheld by FBI
More than two years have passed since the attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, yet the FBI continues to withhold documents from the public. Last month, President Trump claimed that by the time he assumed office in January 2025, the Crooks records had been missing, altered, or corrupted.
Redacted Chat Thread and Drone Photos
Judicial Watch obtained drone photos of a Pittsburgh area arena and a mysterious chat thread between Crooks and an unidentified individual. The chat, which occurred between May 21, 2023, and January 3, 2024, consists largely of one- and two-word messages, including phrases like ‘Hello’, ‘red’, ‘Yolo’, and ‘Hdjd’. The incoming messages from the chat thread are completely redacted.
Additional Communications and Shipment Notifications
A report titled ‘Samsung Messaging Review’ dated July 18, 2024, details the FBI’s identification of other communications on Crooks’ cell phone as ‘pertinent’ to the investigation. These include conversations with unknown contacts, campaign solicitations from then-U.S. Senate candidate Raphael Warnock, and DHL shipment notifications from Hong Kong.
Anonymous Cremation Payment Revealed
It was also revealed last month that an anonymous donor paid to cremate Crooks just ten days after the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt.
Call for Full Investigative Records
“These latest records reveal more pieces of the puzzle surrounding Thomas Crooks,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “The FBI should stop the slow drip of heavily redacted records and immediately provide the full investigative record – especially since the death last week of James Copenhaver, who was severely injured from being shot during the assassination attempt on President Trump.”
NEW: Thomas Crooks used drone to take pictures of Pittsburgh area a few months before he nearly assassinated @realDonaldTrump . pic.twitter.com/2wlZfbeXJ3
Source: The Gateway Pundit
