WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued a subpoena to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel for records relating to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt of President Donald Trump in Butler, PA. 

“One year following the assassination attempt of President Trump, the American people still do not have answers to all of their questions about the breakdown of security at the Butler campaign rally and detailed information about the would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks. I had expected the FBI to be more forthcoming with the public and provide my office with the records we have been seeking for months. I am issuing the subpoena to help prompt transparency and I look forward to Director Patel’s full cooperation,” Sen. Johnson stated. 

 The subpoena requires the FBI to provide, in part:  

• Security camera footage obtained that may identify Crooks’ movements in advance of the shooting;
• Forensic reports on the assassination attempt, including ballistics, trajectory, explosive, and drone analysis records; and
• Records about Crooks including documents relating to his social media and email accounts, search history, call logs, and other communications.

Following the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt, Sen. Johnson immediately began investigating the security failures surrounding the Butler campaign rally. On July 14, 2024, Sen. Johnson wrote to the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security requesting records about Crooks and the security of the event. On July 21, 2024 and July 23, 2024, he released preliminary findings and provided the public updated timelines on July 30, 2024 and on Aug. 29, 2024 regarding law enforcement’s awareness of Crooks.

On Sept. 25, 2024, Sens. Johnson, Rand Paul, Gary Peters, and Richard Blumenthal released an interim report detailing the security failures at the Butler campaign rally and outstanding requests connected to the assassination attempt.

The deadline for Sen. Johnson’s subpoena is Aug. 1, 2025. The full text of the subpoena can be found here.

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