Kash Patel’s blunder on Trump’s near-assassin

FBI Director Kash Patel gave a curious answer when asked by a Congressman to provide details about President Donald Trump’s near-assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks.

During a hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, Republican Texas Representative Wesley Hunt noted that he had asked Patel’s predecessor Christopher Wray ‘a very detailed question about Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter responsible for the assassination attempt on President Trump’s life.’

Hunt then added that he would like to resubmit the questions and asked if Patel would answer them. Patel responded that he could commit to providing a response ‘as soon as the trial is over.’

But there is no trial for Crooks, as he died shortly after firing his shots at then-candidate Donald Trump. Crooks was able to fire off a series of bullets aimed at Trump’s head – one of which grazed his ear – before officers took him down.

Daily Mail reached out to the FBI for comment on Director Patel’s response, and did not receive a reply in time for publication. The July 13, 2024 attempt on Trump’s life came during a rally at the Farm Show Grounds in Butler, where then-20-year-old gunman Crooks perched atop a building just beyond the perimeter gates.

It’s now been over a year since the first attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania . Yet, many questions still remain unanswered about the Secret Service’s conduct both on that day, and since.

Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released earlier this summer his final report on the Butler investigation. Paul’s report is full of a ‘disturbing pattern of denials, mismanagement, and missed warning signs’ from the Senate investigation into the assassination attempt.

‘What happened in Butler, Pennsylvania, was not just a tragedy—it was a scandal. The United States Secret Service failed to act on credible intelligence, failed to coordinate with local law enforcement, and failed to prevent an attack that nearly took the life of a then-former president,’ said Chairman Paul.

‘Despite those failures, no one has been fired,’ Paul noted at the time. ‘This was not a single lapse in judgment. It was a complete breakdown of security at every level—fueled by bureaucratic indifference, a lack of clear protocols, and a shocking refusal to act on direct threats. We must hold individuals accountable and ensure reforms are fully implemented so this never happens again,’ Paul added.