FBI Records Reveal Crooks’ Emails with Deputy

[INSIDE JW]

TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT UPDATE!

[[link removed]]

FBI RECORDS REVEAL CROOKS’ EMAILS WITH DEPUTY

We’ve uncovered a few more pieces of the puzzle of the attempted
assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, but they raise
new questions.

We forced the release of 48 heavily redacted pages
[[link removed]]
from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit revealing that a Butler County
Sheriff’s deputy exchanged emails with would-be Trump assassin
Thomas Crooks prior to the July 13, 2024, shooting in Butler, PA.

The records indicate that a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officer
recovered a “gray remote device” with an antenna from Crooks’
pocket after he was killed.

The records also show that a medic with the Beaver County Emergency
Services Unit told the FBI that she was on the roof of the American
Glass Research (AGR) building examining Crooks’s body when she was
informed that a police canine had “hit” on the building and she
was told to evacuate the roof where Crooks’s body remained.

We filed the July 2025 lawsuit
[[link removed] the
FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 FOIA request for all records
related to Crooks and the assassination attempt on then-presidential
candidate Donald Trump. The request included investigative files,
interview summaries, reports, communications, media, and database
records, as well as any FBI communications—across all
formats—between FBI personnel, sources, contractors, or assets and
Crooks himself (_Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice_
[[link removed] _(No.
1:25-cv-02216)).

A heavily redacted July 17, 2024, FBI electronic communication
[[link removed]]
titled “Disc of 5 Deputies of the Butler County Sheriff's Office
that were conducted on 07/16/2024” summarizes interviews conducted
with deputies from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office. One deputy
revealed that she had exchanged two emails with Crooks. Further
information about the nature of those emails was redacted:

> On 7/16/2024, TFO [task force officer] [redacted] of the FBI
> TOC-West [transnational organized crime] Task Force and Trooper
> [redacted] of the Pa State Police conducted interviews …
>
> ***
>
> On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, Special Agent (SA) [redacted]
> telephonically interviewed [redacted] … After being advised the
> identity of the interviewing agent and the nature of the interview,
> (redacted) provided the following:
>
> [Redacted] advised she [redacted] Thomas Crooks (CROOKS) in the
> [redacted] was an [redacted] therefore [redacted] with CROOKS.
> [Redacted] advised she did not recognize CROOKS when everything was
> on the news over the weekend but on Sunday night, a New York Times
> reporter emailed her asking questions.
>
> [Redacted] advised she checked her emails and records and only had
> two email communications from CROOKS and both emails were in regard
> to [redacted].
>
> [Redacted] advised she did not have any personal interaction with
> CROOKS [redacted].

In a July 17, 2024, FD-302 interview summary
[[link removed]]
a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit (ESU) first responder told the
FBI that she observed a SWAT officer recover a remote device and a
cell phone from Crooks’ pocket. The first responder also states that
she was called to the roof of the American Glass Research (AGR)
building where she examined Crooks and pronounced him deceased:

> [Redacted] confirmed she was present at the Butler County
> fairgrounds for the Trump rally. Her responsibilities included
> providing medical backup for the ESU [Emergency Services Unit] team
> or any police response. She arrived at the fairgrounds at 9:00am and
> was positioned at the spectator screening area.
>
> ***
>
> [Redacted] reported that the Beaver County ESU [Emergency Services
> Unit] team were provided two Butler County radios to monitor two
> different channels during the event, one was patrol. Beaver County
> ESU [Emergency Services Unit] commander [redacted] was notified to
> move, so the team prepared to move. During that time, [redacted]
> advised that the team was also aware of reporting from their sniper
> element of a questionable subject in the area that could not be
> located.
>
> [Redacted] was in the Beavery County ESU [Emergency Services Unit]
> vehicle, a Bearcat, with rest of team. The vehicle, driven by
> [redacted] initially stopped at the command post and moved towards
> the first victim. The bearcat was moved between the victim and
> crowd. The Butler County medic, named [redacted] was first to
> victim. [Redacted] reported there were three health care providers
> with the victim, so [redacted] did not move to provide support. She
> then looked for others that may need medical assistance.
>
> [Redacted] did not have access to Butler County radios and only had
> access to a Beaver County radio. She did not remember who told her,
> but there were reports for medical assistance needed at the AGR
> [American Glass Research] facility. She coordinated with [redacted]
> to request operator support to travel from stage area to the
> facility. She traveled with [redacted] and [redacted]. The went
> through a small space between a fence that separated the fairgrounds
> and AGR [American Glass Research] facility. She was advised that
> there may have been multiple operators down, a potential shootout
> and that the shooter was down. She encountered a uniformed officer
> and was told that support was needed on the roof. She utilized a
> black collapsible ladder to get onto the roof of the AGR [American
> Glass Research ] facility.
>
> At 1823 [6:23 p.m.] [redacted] arrived on roof and did not see any
> officers down. She was told by others on the roof to evaluate the
> shooter. She observed that the shooter had injuries not sustainable
> for life. She checked the shooters pulse on the carotid on the right
> side and did not find one. She pronounced him dead at 1825 [6:25
> p.m.].
>
> [Redacted] observed the shooter laying prone, face-down and
> handcuffed with flex-cuffs. The rifle was off to the shooters left.
> There were medical supplies near the shooter, but it did not belong
> to her. There were two Butler County SWAT officers, one Washington
> County SWAT officer and a uniformed Butler County officer on the
> roof with her. The Washington County SWAT officer checked the
> shooter’s right pocket and discovered a gray remote device with
> numerical push buttons and an antenna and a cell phone.
>
> [Redacted] recalls that EOD [explosive ordnance disposal] showed up
> on the roof to look the gray remote device. She remembers being told
> that a canine hit on the building beneath them and were told to
> evacuate the roof. The shooters body remained on the roof.
>
> [Redacted] does not know when the shooter’s body was moved from
> the roof. She was provided a body bag by Butler County EMS and later
> provided this bag to an individual from FBI or US Secret Service.
> She does not recall which agency.
>
> [Redacted] does not recall the time she left the scene, but it was
> after 1:00am on July 14, 2024. She participated in a debrief with
> the Butler County ESU team on July 15, 2024.
>
> [Redacted] did not attend the operations briefing at 0900. She
> believed that Butler County coordinated with Allegheny Health
> Network to have a physician on site and a medical tent on site. She
> does not know who was in charge of the medical response for the
> event.

Our federal lawsuit continues to force the release of new information
from the assassination attempt at the Butler rally. The American
people deserve full transparency about Thomas Crooks, his contacts,
and why key details about this case remain hidden nearly a year later.

In May 2026, we received
[[link removed]], in
response to a court order, an audio recording of a 911
[[link removed]]
call placed by the father of Thomas Crooks
[[link removed]],
who is alleged to have attempted to assassinate then-presidential
candidate Donald J. Trump at approximately 6:11 p.m. during a campaign
rally in Butler, PA, on July 13, 2024.

In February 2026, a separate Judicial Watch lawsuit forced the
release of the first FBI records
[[link removed]] about the
Butler assassination attempt, revealing that law enforcement personnel
broadcast radio warnings about an “unknown male acting
suspiciously” prior to the shooting.

In April 2026, we sued
[[link removed]]
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for records related to an
August 31, 2025, incident in which a club member allegedly carried a
loaded semi-automatic handgun past Secret Service screening
checkpoints at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia while President
Donald Trump was on site.

In April 2026, our FOIA lawsuit forced the release of records
[[link removed]] from
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that show that Crooks was
reportedly involved in an altercation with a group of people and
making “hateful comments” directed at President Trump at the
Butler, PA.

In December 2025, we sued
[[link removed]] the
U.S. Secret Service for communications records related to Code Pink
protesters who disrupted a dinner held by President Trump at a
restaurant in Washington, DC, on September 9, 2025 (_Judicial Watch v.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security_
[[link removed] _(No.
1:25-cv-04408)).

In September 2025, we filed a FOIA lawsuit
[[link removed]] for messages
among top leaders of the FBI referencing social media posts of Special
Agent Jeffrey Veltri, head of the Miami Field Office, which is
investigating the September 15 assassination attempt against Donald
Trump (_Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice_
[[link removed]]
(No. 1:24-cv-02740)).

In March 2025, we sued
[[link removed]] the
Homeland Security for records related to security provided for the
July 13, 2024, rally in Butler, PA (_Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S.
Department of Homeland Security_
[[link removed]]
(No. 1:25-cv-00704)).

In August 2024, we uncovered
[[link removed]]
documents from the district attorney’s office in Butler County, PA,
detailing the extensive preparation of local police for the rally at
which former President Trump was shot. The preparation included sniper
teams, counter assault teams and a quick response force.

In August 2024, in response to a separate open records request, we
obtained
[[link removed]]
bodycam footage of the July 13 assassination events from the Butler
Township Police Department.

In August 2024, following up on reports that the Biden Secret Service
denied Trump’s requests for additional Secret Service protection, we
filed a FOIA lawsuit
[[link removed]] for
Secret Service and other records regarding potential increased
protective services to Trump’s security detail prior to the attempt
on his life at his July 13 campaign rally (_Judicial Watch v. U.S.
Department of Homeland Security_
[[link removed] _(No.
1:24-cv-02495)).

JUDICIAL WATCH SUES OVER ILLEGAL ALIEN DUI CRASH THAT KILLED KATIE
ABRAHAM

We filed an Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit
[[link removed]]
against the City of Urbana, Illinois, for records related to a January
2025 fatal drunk-driving crash caused by an illegal alien who was
later convicted in the death of Katie Abraham (_Judicial Watch Inc. v.
City of Urbana_
[[link removed]]
(No. 2026CH000049)).

We sued in the Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit,
Champaign County, Illinois, after the Urbana Police Department failed
to produce police reports, supplemental records, and video evidence
concerning the crash
[[link removed]]
involving Julio Cucul-Bol, a Guatemalan national who was unlawfully
present in the United States.

Cucul-Bol pleaded guilty
[[link removed]] to
multiple charges in connection with the fatal hit-and-run crash that
killed two women – 21-year-old Chloe Polzin and 20-year-old
Katherine J. Abraham. Three other passengers were injured. He was
arrested
[[link removed]]
near Dallas, Texas, while on a bus heading to Mexico. He was sentenced
to 30 years in prison for charges that included
[[link removed]]
“aggravated driving under the influence in a crash resulting in
death.”

Cucul-Bol is also facing unrelated federal charges
[[link removed]].

In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched
Operation Midway Blitz
[[link removed]]
in honor of Abraham, “relentlessly arresting criminal illegal alien
drunk drivers across Illinois.”

This is a straightforward transparency case. The criminal
prosecution is over, yet the Urbana Police Department is withholding
records about a fatal crash. Katie Abraham lost her life. The
government should not be hiding these records from the public.

Judicial Watch is being assisted by Christine Svenson Esq. of Svenson
Legal LLC, Palatine, IL.

Until next week,



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