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A public dispute between Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton and FBI Director Kash Patel escalated this week after the FBI accused the conservative watchdog group of misrepresenting newly released records tied to the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The controversy began when Judicial Watch released FBI records obtained through litigation and asserted that the documents showed would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks had emailed local law enforcement officials before opening fire at Trump’s July 13, 2024 rally. Fitton argued the records raised new questions about what authorities knew before the attack and accused the FBI of withholding information from the public.
“For whatever reason, FBI is slow rolling the release of records about Butler,” Fitton wrote in a social media post that was later deleted.
The FBI quickly disputed Judicial Watch’s interpretation of the records.
In a statement posted by its Rapid Response account, the bureau said Judicial Watch’s characterization was inaccurate, arguing that the documents referenced emails between Crooks and college instructors regarding coursework — not communications with law enforcement.
“The unredacted documents are interviews of Thomas Crooks by college instructors, not cops,” the FBI stated. “They make no references to contact between Thomas Crooks and any police department.”
Patel amplified the bureau’s response on social media, posting, “Facts over click bait.”
Fitton responded by accusing Patel and the FBI of unfairly attacking Judicial Watch for interpreting heavily redacted records the organization spent nearly two years obtaining through litigation. He described the bureau’s criticism as “malicious, false and juvenile” and called on Patel to apologize.
Fitton also argued that the FBI continues to withhold a significant number of records related to the Butler investigation, claiming roughly 75,000 pages remain unreleased. Rather than criticizing outside organizations seeking transparency, he said, the bureau should make additional records public.
A day later, Fitton acknowledged Judicial Watch had revised its analysis after reviewing additional information but continued to criticize the FBI’s handling of the records and questioned why broader public access had not been granted.
The dispute comes as scrutiny of the Butler assassination attempt remains intense nearly two years after the attack.
Multiple congressional investigations, inspector general reviews, and independent inquiries have examined the security failures that allowed Crooks to access a rooftop overlooking Trump’s rally. Trump was wounded in the ear, attendee Corey Comperatore was killed, and two others were seriously injured before Crooks was fatally shot by a Secret Service sniper.
Federal investigators have maintained that Crooks acted alone and that extensive reviews of his electronic devices, communications, and online activity uncovered no evidence of accomplices or foreign involvement.
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