From ABC News · ABC News · · 2m
Trump calls Butler shooting a Democrat plot, offers no proof
Trump blamed Democrats and Christopher Wray for Butler, but his own FBI director told senators the shooter had no known contacts.
In brief
Trump blamed Democrats and Christopher Wray for Butler, but his own FBI director told senators the shooter had no known contacts. Trump offered no evidence of a plot, and his own FBI director testified the agency found no link between the shooter and anyone else. Originally reported by ABC News.
A new plot claim
On Tuesday, Trump said the 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, was a Democratic plot to knock him out of the election. The attack killed one person and wounded two others.
“This was all a Democrat Plot, to get me out of the Election, that failed.”
Wray in the crosshairs
Trump said former FBI Director Christopher Wray should pay for the investigation. He was angry that Wray testified it was unclear whether Trump had been hit by a bullet.
“Dirty Cop Christopher Wray should pay a price for the way he handled this assassination attempt”
No evidence offered
Trump gave no proof. He said most of the investigation files were missing when he took office and that new documents had been found recently, but he didn't say what they showed.
“Why wasn't it seen long ago?”
His FBI found no links
FBI Director Kash Patel told a Senate hearing the same day that agents searched for ties between shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks and other people. They found none.
“We found no evidence that that individual was literally even speaking to any other human being other than his parents, who he resided with”
Blanche stays vague
Attorney General Todd Blanche also shared no evidence. He said the new information came from the FBI in answer to a Senate inquiry and covers the shooter's background and history.
“The Department of Justice doesn't punish”
Blaming the old FBI
Blanche said it's unclear what FBI leaders did to protect Trump in the months before the shooting. He said Patel is going through the files to find what was missed, if anything.
“That's the same organization that was simultaneously trying to put him in prison till he dies.”
Odd details, no conspiracy
Fox News and the New York Post said files show Crooks ordered suspicious packages as "Bob Dole" and an anonymous donor paid for his cremation. Neither outlet reported evidence of a plot.
What is known
The Secret Service says a bullet from Crooks' rifle struck Trump in the ear. Crooks fired from the roof of a nearby building during the July 13, 2024 rally.
The headline
Trump offered no evidence of a plot, and his own FBI director testified the agency found no link between the shooter and anyone else.
