Kash Patel says ‘no evidence’ Trump shooter Thomas Crooks spoke to anyone but his parents
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that investigators reviewing devices belonging to Thomas Crooks found “no evidence” the gunman who tried to assassinate President Donald Trump communicated with anyone other than his parents. Patel described the findings under questioning from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, a day after newly […]
FBI Director Kash Patel said Tuesday that investigators reviewing devices belonging to Thomas Crooks found “no evidence” the gunman who tried to assassinate President Donald Trump communicated with anyone other than his parents.
Patel described the findings under questioning from Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, a day after newly disclosed FBI interviews offered additional details about Crooks’s upbringing, firearms purchases, and political views.
” data-large-file=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents.webp” src=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents.webp” alt=”Kash Patel.” class=”wp-image-4727918″ srcset=”https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents-2.webp 1024w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents-2.webp?resize=300,200 300w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents-2.webp?resize=768,512 768w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents-2.webp?resize=150,100 150w, https://conservativemodern.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/kash-patel-says-no-evidence-trump-shooter-thomas-crooks-spoke-to-anyone-but-his-parents-2.webp?resize=696,464 696w” sizes=”(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px”>FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during the Senate Judiciary hearing on Oversight of the FBI, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“I think we looked at some 27 devices, exfiltrated all the data off of them, looked for connections to individuals in America and overseas, and we found no evidence that that individual was literally even speaking to any other human being other than his parents, who he resided with,” Patel said.
Ever since Crooks, 20, opened fire from a nearby rooftop during Trump’s July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, questions have swirled over his motivations, with pressure on Patel to release more details about the dramatic and deadly incident after little information came to light under his predecessor. Although Trump was grazed by a bullet during the attempted assasination, former Butler fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed, and two other attendees, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were seriously wounded. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks at the scene.
Lee pressed for a fuller explanation of the July 13, 2024, shooting in Butler, saying neither the public nor the committee had “anything approaching a robust understanding of Thomas Crooks.”
Patel said the FBI had provided the Secret Service and relevant congressional committees with all information it could lawfully release. He deferred questions about security improvements to the Department of Homeland Security.
Asked whether he would keep lawmakers informed about the investigation and additional disclosures, Patel replied, “Sure.” He offered no prospective release date or divulged how many other materials might be in the FBI’s hands.
The newly disclosed records included interviews with Crooks’s father, Matthew, who described his son as increasingly withdrawn and deeply interested in shooting, according to the New York Post. The newspaper reported Monday that the documents had been provided to committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
This 2021 photo provided by Bethel Park School District shows student Thomas Matthew Crooks who graduated from Bethel Park High School with the Class of 2022, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks was identified by the FBI as the shooter involved in an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Bethel Park School District via AP)
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Washington Examiner the authenticity of the materials cited in the story but declined to provide them, citing personal family information. The source added there are still “quite a few records in Grassley’s possession,” indicating future releases could come from the committee.
In addition to the New York Post’s review of the records, Crooks’s father said his son ordered Amazon packages under the name “Bob Dole,” believing a pseudonym would protect him from financial hacking. His purchases included rifle parts and tools. He also used encrypted email services and encouraged his father to use privacy software.
While it’s unclear why he used the name of the late former Republican senator from Kansas, an unnamed source interviewed by the FBI said Crooks was a “history buff” who was “interested in politics.”
The interviews described Crooks practicing increasingly distant shots and attempting to make a handgun using carbon fiber plastic. His father could not explain the attack and reported seeing no warning signs.
Trump responded after the new details emerged in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, asserting that investigative information was “missing, altered, corrupted, or gone” before he returned to office. He accused Democrats of plotting to remove him from the election, and he criticized former FBI Director Christopher Wray‘s handling of the bureau at the time.
Attorney General Todd Blanche, speaking at a White House Rose Garden press conference, said Trump’s frustration concerned the FBI’s former leadership under Wray. Blanche praised Patel’s handling of the records review and disclosures.
“His frustration and concern about what the former director was doing is something that is not new,” Blanche said. “He said that for a very long time.”
Blanche said the FBI had found additional information about Crooks’s background and provided it to the Senate. He credited Patel with undertaking a “herculean effort” to review documents, determine what had been missed, and release material that had not previously come forward.
This 2021 photo provided by Bethel Park School District shows student Thomas Matthew Crooks who graduated from Bethel Park High School with the Class of 2022, in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. Crooks was identified by the FBI as the shooter involved in an assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Bethel Park School District via AP)
