Free Republic

(Washington, D.C.) – Judicial Watch announced that it received 249 pages of new Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a July 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The records include photos taken of the Pittsburgh area by Crooks using a drone, cell phone evidence that shows that Crooks received fundraising appeals for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a package delivery from Hong Kong, and an unusual chat thread between Crooks and an unidentified person. Judicial Watch filed its...

A Pennsylvania man who survived gunshot wounds during President Trump's Butler campaign rally two years ago has died, sources confirmed. James 'Jim' Copenhaver, 76, died on Wednesday after surviving the terrifying rally that saw Trump shot in the ear on July 13, 2024. Copenhaver endured permanent 'life-altering' injuries after he was shot twice at the infamous rally; once in his left arm and again in his abdomen. The native of Moon Township, around 20 minutes from Pittsburgh, was in critical condition at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh before he was left numb from his knee to his hip. Joseph Feldman,...

A whistleblower alleged that Secret Service acting Director Ronald Rowe personally cut security resources and “retaliated” against agents with security concerns leading up to former President Donald Trump’s rally on July 13, according to a letter released Thursday. The whistleblower alleged that Rowe personally implemented “significant cuts” to the Counter Surveillance Division (CSD), which does advanced threat assessments for venues, and alleged that agents who expressed security concerns were “retaliated against,” according to Missouri Republican Sen. Josh Hawley’s letter to Rowe. As a result, the CSD failed to perform its “typical evaluation” of the rally venue in Butler County, Pennsylvania,...

Pat Young, the chief of detectives for Beaver County, slammed Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe’s comments in a Senate hearing over the lack of communication on the day of former President Donald Trump’s rally. The rally where Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump, killed Corey Comperatore, and injured James Copenhaver and David Dutch. Every time local law enforcement releases new information, it shows no communication from the Secret Service (USSS), and the agency quickly denies it and pushes back. instance, Pennsylvania SWAT said the USSS never held a briefing with them or others before the rally. The members never spoke...

A viral video that one of the attendees of former President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, filmed shows an individual running across a roof — the same roof Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump from — minutes before the tragedy, which claimed the life of one attendee and injured three others, including Trump. Fox News first obtained the video — which James Copenhaver, one of the victims injured at the July 13 rally, filmed. In the video, an individual can be seen scurrying across the roof where Crooks later took the shots. According to Fox News, the video was taken...

A Go Fund Me account authorized by former President Donald Trump has raised more than $6 million for the victims of the failed assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. As of Friday morning, the account had raised nearly $6.5 million through more than 69,000 donations, including contributions from billionaire Elon Musk, hedge fund investor Ken Griffin, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and his wife, UFC CEO and President Dana White, and musical artist Kid Rock.Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter from Sarver, Pennsylvania, was shot and killed at the rally while shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire. David...

[T]he 20-year-old gunman once mocked him over his support of former President Donald Trump and had a general disdain for mainstream politicians across the political aisle. brought up the fact that I'm Hispanic and, you know, I'm for Trump. And he said, 'Well, you're Hispanic, so shouldn't you hate Trump?'" Vincent Taormina told Fox News Digital Tuesday. "No. He's great. He was a great president. He called me stupid – or insinuated that I was stupid."