Staff Reports
Newly released FBI records produced to Judicial Watch reveal fresh snippets of the puzzle around Thomas Matthew Crooks — the gunman who opened fire at a President Trump rally near Butler. The FOIA production includes redacted text-message extracts about 3D-printed “parts,” a string of odd one-word chats, and drone images and flight logs. The FBI labeled several items “pertinent,” but most of the critical context is still blacked out. That slow drip of documents raises more questions than answers.
What the newly released records actually show
The interim FOIA release contains a few clear pieces: a February message asking, “Did you 3D print the parts?” and a reply that reportedly said, “Yes, except for the fan blades.” The FBI flagged multiple phone threads as “pertinent,” including a series of short, seemingly random outgoing messages and a larger exchange stretching over many months. Investigators also recovered drone evidence — about forty images and several flight logs — with at least one logged flight tied to the Butler area on the day of the rally. Judicial Watch calls these documents part of a piecemeal production that still leaves major gaps.
Redactions, secrecy, and why that matters
The big problem isn’t that the FBI produced something — it’s that they produced almost nothing useful. Key names and incoming messages are redacted, so the “unknown contact” remains unknown. If the bureau thought identities or technical exhibits would jeopardize an active probe, fine — say so and explain why. But hiding heavily redacted pages while labeling them “pertinent” looks like bureaucratic dodgework. Americans deserve concrete answers, not redaction theater.
Big questions still on the table
Who was the unknown contact asking about 3D-printed parts? Were the “parts” components for a firearm, a drone, or something else entirely? Do the drone images and flight logs show reconnaissance or coordination tied to the rally? And perhaps most important: if the FBI marked these items as pertinent, why withhold the rest? Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and other oversight officials should be knocking down doors to get the full investigative file. Transparency isn’t a partisan favor — it’s how we judge whether the system worked or failed.
Why readers should care
This isn’t just paperwork for government watchdogs. An attempted assassination at a political rally is a direct attack on public safety and on the right of citizens to assemble and speak. We have a right to know whether this was a lone, deranged actor, or whether others were involved and remain hidden in redaction. Judicial Watch’s FOIA release gives us tantalizing fragments — and the government owes the public the full picture. No more slow drips, no more bureaucratic “protective” blackouts: either explain why the file is sealed or put the whole thing on the table so Americans can judge for themselves.
