No, a Sheriff's Deputy Did Not Email Thomas Crooks Before the Trump Assassination Attempt
“A sheriff's deputy emailed Thomas Crooks before the Trump assassination attempt”
The argument in brief
A claim spread on social media that a sheriff's deputy emailed Thomas Matthew Crooks before the July 13, 2024 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. This is false. The FBI, two congressional investigations, and multiple fact-checkers found zero evidence of any such communication.
Why it spread
The claim taps into genuine, widespread distrust of government and law enforcement. For people already skeptical of the official account, the idea that the attack was somehow allowed or coordinated feels like it explains the security failures that actually did occur. That makes it psychologically compelling even without any supporting evidence.
A viral claim alleges that a law enforcement officer — specifically a sheriff's deputy — emailed Thomas Matthew Crooks before he opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. There is no credible evidence this ever happened. The claim appears to have originated on social media and was never backed by any document, source, or official record.
The FBI investigated Crooks extensively after the shooting and released a public statement on its findings. Investigators examined his background, communications, and possible motive. They found no prior email contact between Crooks and any law enforcement officer, and concluded he acted alone. His motive, the FBI noted, remained unclear.
Congress looked hard at this too. Both the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Homeland Security Committee held hearings and released reports focused on security failures at Butler. Neither investigation — which involved testimony from Secret Service officials and local law enforcement — turned up any evidence of advance contact between a deputy and Crooks. If such an email existed, these investigations were exactly the kind of process that would have found it.
Fact-checkers at PolitiFact and the Associated Press also reviewed the claim and reached the same conclusion: no verified evidence, no credible sourcing, nothing. The claim circulated widely but was never substantiated by a single named source or document.
To be fair to the strongest version of this claim: the Butler security response was genuinely chaotic, and official investigations did confirm serious failures in coordination between local and federal law enforcement. That real dysfunction is likely what gave the rumor room to breathe. But documented failures are not the same as evidence of a conspiracy, and no investigation found anything connecting a deputy to Crooks in advance.
This kind of claim spreads fast because it fits a ready-made story. Watch for the pattern: a dramatic, specific-sounding detail — an email, a name, a date — that implies coordination, but with no screenshot, no document, and no named source. Specificity without evidence is a hallmark of misinformation designed to feel credible.
Sources
- House Judiciary Committee Investigation
Congressional investigations into the July 13, 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt found no credible evidence that any law enforcement officer emailed Thomas Matthew Crooks before the shooting.
- FBI Investigation into Thomas Matthew Crooks
The FBI's investigation into Thomas Matthew Crooks and the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt did not surface any finding of prior email contact between a sheriff's deputy and Crooks. The FBI stated Crooks acted alone and his motive remained unclear.
- PolitiFact
Fact-checkers found no verified evidence supporting the claim that a law enforcement officer emailed Crooks before the assassination attempt. This claim circulated on social media without substantiation.
- Associated Press Fact Check
The Associated Press found no credible reporting or official confirmation of any email communication between a sheriff's deputy and Thomas Crooks prior to the Butler rally shooting.
- U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee Hearing
Senate hearings examining Secret Service and local law enforcement failures at Butler, Pennsylvania did not surface any testimony or evidence of prior email contact between law enforcement and Crooks.