FOIA Revelations: Butler Sheriff's Deputy Exchanged Emails with Thomas Crooks Days Before Trump Assassination Attempt

Newly released FBI records obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit reveal that a deputy with the Butler County Sheriff's Office exchanged at least two emails with Thomas Matthew Crooks in the days preceding the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt at a Donald Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The documents, consisting of 48 heavily redacted pages, summarize interviews with multiple deputies conducted shortly after the shooting. One deputy reported checking her records and confirming the two email communications with Crooks, though the subject matter was entirely redacted by the FBI.

This disclosure adds a previously underreported layer to the extensive security breakdowns documented in the congressional task force investigation. Local law enforcement, including the Butler County Sheriff's Office, participated in pre-rally planning and perimeter security yet failed to prevent Crooks from occupying an unsecured rooftop with a direct line of fire. The same records note that a SWAT officer recovered a 'gray remote device with an antenna' from Crooks' pocket after he was neutralized, raising further questions about his preparation and possible external connections.

Congressional findings already detailed fragmented communications across agencies operating on incompatible radio frequencies, missed opportunities to relay observations about Crooks' suspicious behavior, and inadequate Secret Service staffing. The email exchange suggests local authorities may have had direct prior contact with the 20-year-old gunman—potentially related to his known interests in engineering, explosives precursors, or the event itself—that was never escalated. Mainstream reporting has focused primarily on federal lapses and Crooks' online activity while giving less attention to these localized interactions and their implications for political event security.

The political ramifications are significant: Butler County resources were integral to protecting a major presidential candidate, yet systemic oversights allowed the attack that killed Corey Comperatore and injured Trump and others. With details heavily censored, the records invite legitimate scrutiny over transparency, inter-agency information sharing, and whether ideological or operational biases contributed to the intelligence failure. Greater public access to unredacted materials could reshape narratives around the event and influence accountability measures heading into future election cycles.