WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a seismic revelation that has ignited fresh controversy around the July 13, 2024, attempted assassination of President Donald Trump, FBI Director Kash Patel has unequivocally validated the core findings of Tucker Carlson’s explosive independent report. Patel’s one-sentence affirmation—”It’s all true”—was a direct confirmation of Carlson’s allegations of systemic security failures, ignored intelligence, and post-incident cover-up efforts within federal law enforcement.
Patel, a staunch Trump loyalist who assumed the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) role in February 2025, delivered the statement in a no-holds-barred interview with conservative commentator Benny Johnson. The declaration suggests a major internal reckoning for the agencies involved in the attack that wounded the then-former President and killed one rally attendee.
The Butler Attack: A Review of the Data
The event in question took place at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire from a rooftop position. Key data points surrounding the incident include:
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Date: July 13, 2024.
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Perpetrator: Thomas Matthew Crooks (aged 20).
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Weapon: An AR-15–style rifle (DPMS Panther Arms DR-15).
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Casualties: One attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were injured by gunfire, in addition to Trump, who suffered a graze wound to his right ear. Four officers were also injured by flying debris.
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Distance: Crooks was positioned on a rooftop approximately 150 yards from the stage.
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Post-Attack Findings: Bomb-making materials, including more than two gallons of the fuel additive nitromethane, were later found in Crooks’s vehicle and home.
🚨 Carlson’s Report and Patel’s Corroboration
Carlson’s investigation, which aired on his independent platform, drew from leaked documents and whistleblower testimonies to suggest the shooting was not merely the act of a “lone wolf,” but was enabled by a conspiracy of gross negligence or deliberate obstruction within the “deep state.”
Director Patel stated his review of classified files validated every major allegation put forth by the journalist. The confirmed claims include:
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Foreknowledge and Inaction: Agencies, notably the FBI and Secret Service, reportedly received credible warnings about Crooks’s radicalization and weapon purchases weeks prior to the attack. These communications were allegedly “accidentally” purged after the incident.
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Security Lapses: The outer perimeter of the rally was allegedly undermanned, and drone surveillance capable of spotting the shooter on the rooftop had been intentionally grounded due to “technical issues,” contradicting official reports.
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Post-Attempt Obstruction: The rushed classification of the shooting as a lone wolf event, according to Patel, was a calculated effort to preempt deeper probes. Alleged evidence, such as Crooks’s encrypted online links to potential foreign actors, was downplayed, and witnesses reporting other suspicious individuals were sidelined.
Patel’s confirmation—”The intelligence was there. The breakdowns were systemic. And the cover-up? That’s the part that keeps me up at night”—underscores his commitment to a “full-throated” internal audit and the formation of a special task force to re-examine Crooks’s digital trail.
A History of Turmoil and Threats
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump is only the latest high-profile attack on a U.S. political figure, but the allegations of an institutional cover-up elevate it to a unique point of tension in American history. Patel’s action to declassify redacted portions of the FBI’s Crooks dossier within 30 days is an unprecedented step toward transparency in a case that has been a focal point of partisan division since the attack.
This incident echoes the political turmoil surrounding other notable attacks, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald, which similarly sparked decades of conspiracy theories regarding the involvement of government agencies and a deeper plot. More recently, the 1981 assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley Jr. highlighted the vulnerability of a sitting President, though the subsequent investigation did not face the same accusations of institutional sabotage now being leveled by Director Patel.
Patel’s decision to affirm Carlson’s claims sets up a direct confrontation with the intelligence community’s old guard, many of whom he has already purged from senior executive ranks since his confirmation. The Director, who gained prominence for his role in the Nunes memo exposing alleged FBI abuses during the Russia probe, now stands at the center of a political firestorm, promising accountability for agencies long accused of partisan bias.