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Trump Accuses Democrats of Mishandling FBI Butler Probe — AI-generated representative image: The U.S. Capitol, where the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony on the FBI's Butler probe.

Editorial Team

President claims assassination attempt evidence was altered or lost while officials confirm new information has surfaced.

US President Donald Trump has accused the FBI of deliberately mishandling the investigation into the July 2024 assassination attempt against him in Butler, Pennsylvania, calling it part of a "Democrat plot" to remove him from the presidential race. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump claimed most information in the case was "missing, altered, corrupted, or gone" by the time he took office in January 2025.

His remarks came as Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel told the Senate Judiciary Committee that new information about the shooter had recently surfaced, though neither official provided details.

The renewed allegations place the 2024 shooting, in which Trump was grazed by gunfire and one rally attendee was killed, back at the center of a politically charged dispute over the adequacy of the federal investigation. Trump's claims about mishandled evidence and a partisan motive carry significant weight because they come from a sitting president directing criticism at both his predecessor's administration and the agency now operating under his own appointee.

Allegations and Official Testimony

Trump wrote on Truth Social that "everybody knows the Crooked Joe Biden FBI didn't do what they should have" regarding the shooter, and asserted that most case information had been compromised. He also blamed former FBI Director Christopher Wray, saying Wray "should pay a price" for his handling of the investigation.

During Tuesday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed new information had emerged about the shooter's background and history. FBI Director Kash Patel stated that investigators found no accomplices, saying there was "no evidence that that individual was literally even speaking to any other human being other than his parents, who he resided with."

The 2024 Shooting and Its Aftermath

The assassination attempt occurred at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas M. Crooks fired shots from a rooftop, grazing Trump's ear, killing one attendee and injuring two others. Crooks was killed by the Secret Service at the scene. An internal review released later that year concluded the Secret Service made a number of mistakes ahead of the shooting.

At the time, Trump partly blamed President Joe Biden and Democratic rival Kamala Harris, arguing they made it harder for the Secret Service to protect him and used rhetoric that could have encouraged the shooter. Christopher Wray, whom Trump had nominated during his first term, testified to the House Judiciary Committee that no accomplices were found and said it was unclear whether Trump was hit directly by a bullet or by shrapnel, drawing sharp criticism from Trump. Wray resigned before Trump's January 2025 inauguration.

Statements From Current Officials

Attorney General Blanche described the newly surfaced material in limited terms, saying it concerns "the shooter and about his background, about his history and that's stuff that we didn't know before." He did not elaborate on what the information contains or how it was obtained.

FBI Director Patel's testimony focused on the absence of accomplices in the case, reinforcing the earlier conclusion reached under Wray's leadership while Trump now disputes the overall handling of the probe. Trump has maintained that new information emerging in the case supports his claim that the investigation was mishandled, though he has not specified what that information is.

What Comes Next

Officials have not disclosed what the newly surfaced information reveals about the shooter or whether it will lead to any additional investigative or legal action. Trump has not detailed the new information he referenced in his Truth Social post, and no formal findings have been announced regarding his claims of altered or missing evidence.

Trump has faced multiple assassination attempts, including a September 2024 incident near his Florida golf course involving a pro-Ukraine activist later found guilty of attempting to assassinate him, and an April 2026 shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner that led to charges against suspect Cole Tomas Allen.