Sixteen months have passed since the dramatic incident in Butler, Pennsylvania, where then-presidential candidate Donald Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. The shooter, Thomas Crooks, remains an enigma. Despite the clamors from MAGA supporters demanding answers, little is understood about the motivations behind Crooks’ actions, which tragically resulted in the death of rally attendee Corey Comperatore.

Bits and pieces of Crooks’ background have come to light. At the time of the incident, he was a 20-year-old who felt marginalized, armed with a rangefinder and an AR-style rifle from a rooftop vantage point. Witnesses had noticed him in this sniper position before the chaos unfolded. Prior reports from RedState’s Becky Noble revealed that Crooks had been experimenting with bomb-making months before the Butler rally.

Despite these fragments of information, many questions remain unanswered. There is a lack of clarity about Crooks’ personal history, potential connections, and the precise reasons behind his attempt on Trump’s life. Expectations that the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigations would shed light on the case following the Trump administration’s takeover have yet to materialize, leaving many dissatisfied.

READ MORE: New Disturbing Info on Thomas Crooks Emerging As CBS Pours Major Coat of Sugar on It

How Come We Know So Much About Luigi Mangione, but Next to Nothing About Trump’s Would-Be Assassin?

But, we really don’t know who this guy was, who he may have been in contact with, and why exactly he wanted Trump dead. Those who hoped the books on the Butler near-assassination would be blown wide open when Trump’s people took over the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigations have been left somewhat disappointed.

READ MORE: New Disturbing Info on Thomas Crooks Emerging As CBS Pours Major Coat of Sugar on It

How Come We Know So Much About Luigi Mangione, but Next to Nothing About Trump’s Would-Be Assassin?

Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson posted a 35-minute video that seemed to show Thomas Crooks had a larger digital footprint than have previously been thought. Carlson claims in his video that his team had accessed Crook’s Google Drive, which included a video of the wannabe assassin dry firing a handgun, and obtained years’ worth of Crooks “violent” online threats. 

“Thomas Crooks came within a quarter inch of destroying this country, and yet, a year and a half later, we still know almost nothing about him or why he did it. That’s because, for some reason, the FBI, even the current FBI, doesn’t want us to know,” Carlson argued.

Carlson’s video, which has racked up over 15 million views, may have been the catalyst for current FBI Director Kash Patel’s Friday afternoon tweet, which gave a top-level view of the FBI’s efforts in the Thomas Crooks investigation. 

Crooks Case Overview:

Over 480 FBI employees were involved in the Thomas Crooks investigation. Employees conducted over 1,000 interviews, addressed over 2,000 public tips, analyzed data extracted from 13 seized digital devices, reviewed nearly 500,000 digital files, collected,…

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) November 14, 2025

Crooks Case Overview:

Over 480 FBI employees were involved in the Thomas Crooks investigation. Employees conducted over 1,000 interviews, addressed over 2,000 public tips, analyzed data extracted from 13 seized digital devices, reviewed nearly 500,000 digital files, collected, processed, and synchronized hundreds of hours of video footage, analyzed financial activity from 10 different accounts, and examined data associated with 25 social media or online forum accounts.

The FBI’s investigation into Thomas Crooks identified and examined over 20 online accounts, data extracted from over a dozen electronic devices, examination of numerous financial accounts, and over 1,000 interviews and 2000 public tips.

The investigation, conducted by over 480 FBI employees, revealed Crooks had limited online and in person interactions, planned and conducted the attack alone, and did not leak or share his intent to engage in the attack with anyone.

The comments under Patel’s tweet are a bit salty, with some demanding that Patel go on Carlson’s show to directly answer the questions raised by the former Fox News host. 

What’s abundantly clear is that there’s still a lot of interest in Thomas Crooks’ history and motives, and that’s unlikely to go away anytime soon. And the more information that emerges from unofficial sources, the longer people will have issues with the FBI’s narrative. There’s only one thing for it: radical transparency.

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