Judicial Watch's Thomas Fitton Criticizes FBI's Document Release Timeline on Trump Assassination Attempt

<p>Judicial Watch President Thomas Fitton criticized the FBI for the slow release of documents related to the assassination attempt on President Donald Trump by Thomas Matthew Crooks in 2024 during an interview with Fox News Digital.</p><p>Fitton stated, "They are telling us that, at current processing rates, the process will take 12 years. Under the FBI's timeline, we won't even be able to challenge what they withheld until 12 years from now. That is obviously unacceptable, and I would like to know what leadership at the FBI and DOJ think about that position."</p><p>Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2025 after the FBI initially rejected a July 2024 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents related to the investigation of Crooks' assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.</p><p>The lawsuit resulted in the release of multiple batches of documents, with the most recent batch revealing a series of text messages sent by Crooks to an unknown recipient, whose name was redacted by the FBI.</p><p>Fitton remarked, "We’re receiving these documents because they're part of the investigation, yet we’re not being told who he was talking to."</p><p>He expressed concern over the withholding of information, stating, "Withholding that information is a very concerning decision. The American people want to be certain this isn't another JFK situation. By handling it this way, authorities are creating the appearance of a cover-up. In part, that's true, because they aren't providing details about who Crooks was talking to, who was texting him, what they were saying or who witnessed specific actions. It makes no sense to withhold this."</p><p>The documents included a series of one- or two-word texts sent by Crooks to the redacted recipient between May 2023 and January 2024, which appeared unrelated and nonsensical.</p><p>Fitton acknowledged the reasonable expectation of privacy for any potential correspondents with Crooks but argued that the FBI must balance that expectation against the public interest.</p><p>He stated, "The public interest in understanding how a former president was nearly killed — and two American citizens were killed — outweighs the privacy interests of anyone being protected in these documents. Unless the court speeds up the process, all we can do is speak out publicly to pressure the FBI and the Department of Justice to take ownership and stop stringing the American people along regarding the Butler assassination investigation."</p><p>A previous batch of documents revealed that shortly before Crooks fired his weapon from the roof of the AGR International building, he had a heated argument with rally attendees on the ground.</p><p>Fitton noted, "Thomas Crooks was behaving erratically in a very public way at the rally. This wasn't a case of someone furtively running around; he was getting into a verbal altercation with individuals about Trump and then immediately went up onto the roof. That just blows my mind."</p><p>Fitton expressed frustration over the lengthy document release process, stating, "The entire release process involves approximately 75,000 pages. At 500 pages per month, it will take well over 12 years to review them all. To me, that is unacceptable."</p><p>He added, "It isn't that hard. I believe the president wants it done, and it’s frustrating that the FBI is taking its typical approach to transparency, which is to offer very little."</p><p>Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI and U.S. Secret Service for comment.</p>