FBI Concludes Trump Shooter Acted Alone in Extensive Investigation

The FBI has determined that Thomas Matthew Crooks acted alone in the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania last year, following what officials describe as one of the largest investigations in Bureau history.

In an exclusive, in-depth interview with Fox News Digital, FBI Director Kash Patel, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, and a senior official directly involved in the investigation provided unprecedented details about the probe, which they described as a “Day One priority” since taking office eight months ago.

“We not only had to maintain the chain of command to President Trump, but we had to remind the world that President Trump was the victim — one of the four victims — on that day,” Patel said. “There are victims’ rights rules that apply to him, and they don’t get erased because he is the president.”

The investigation mobilized nearly 500 FBI employees who conducted over 1,000 interviews worldwide and analyzed thousands of tips. Investigators executed more than 10 search warrants, served over 100 subpoenas, and analyzed 13 electronic devices belonging to Crooks and his family members.

Officials stressed they accessed every digital account associated with the 20-year-old shooter, including foreign email accounts hosted in Germany and Belgium. “We can say with confidence that there is no communication, there are no emails that Crooks had that we have not been able to access,” the senior official stated.

The investigation found no evidence of foreign involvement or domestic co-conspirators. “There is no foreign connection in this case,” the official emphasized. “There is no information, no evidence anywhere in this investigation, that shows there was any foreign individual or foreign government or foreign organization tied to Thomas Crooks.”

According to the FBI, Crooks fired eight rounds at the rally stage on July 13, 2024, with 22 additional unfired rounds remaining in his weapon. Officials confirmed that additional unused magazines were found in Crooks’ vehicle on a ballistic vest, along with an undetonated explosive device that had its receiver switch in the “off” position.

“Had it been positioned in the on position, and if it activated from the triggering device on the person, our assessment is that it would have activated,” the official explained.

The shooting left Trump wounded with a bullet grazing his ear, killed firefighter and father Corey Comperatore, and injured three other spectators.

In addressing conspiracy theories that have emerged since the attack, Patel attributed some of the public skepticism to statements made by former FBI Director Christopher Wray shortly after the incident. “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.

The officials also addressed questions about why the FBI hadn’t identified Crooks as a threat before the shooting. “The FBI can only investigate based on a lawful predicate to open,” Patel explained. “Does the American public really want the FBI scouring social media and content everywhere without a lawful predicate and trampling over First Amendment rights?”

Regarding Crooks’ motive, investigators found he left no manifesto or clear explanation for his actions. While they discovered some politically charged comments from 2019-2020 when Crooks was 16, including statements that “the only way to fight the government is with terrorism-style attacks,” they found no recent indicators of his plans.

President Trump has reportedly expressed satisfaction with the investigation. “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.

Trump himself told Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade: “I have confidence in Kash, a lot of confidence, and the DOJ, and they are giving me reports, and their reports are seeming to balance out.”

While the case is officially in “pending, inactive” status, officials emphasized they would pursue any credible new leads. “The director has been very clear about leaving no stone left unturned and that is what we are committed to,” the senior official said.