New FBI Records Reveal Crooks’ Venmo Account Suspended After Trump Assassination Attempt
Federal Judge Sets Hearing on Unsealing Ilhan Omar Search Warrant Records
Judicial Watch Probes Election Integrity Across the Nation
Most Secure Border in History, Record-Breaking Removal of Criminal Aliens
New FBI Records Reveal Crooks’ Venmo Account Suspended After Trump Assassination Attempt
We’re pulling more details of the Butler, PA, gunman out of the FBI.
We forced the release of 142 pages of new, heavily-redacted 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 reveal that Venmo, a mobile payment service, suspended Crooks’ account for “unusual activity” the day after the assassination attempt, the FBI submitted a request for foreign dissemination of information about images found on Crooks’ electronic devices, and PayPal repeatedly addressed him as “Rod Swanson” in emails.
We filed our July 2025 FOIA lawsuit after the FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 request for records concerning Crooks and the assassination attempt (Judicial Watch Inc. v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:25-cv-02216)). The Justice Department has indicated that the total volume of records in the Crooks investigative file is approximately 75,000 pages.
At their current release rate of approximately 500 pages per month, it will take over 12 years for us to receive the complete file. The FBI is abusing FOIA by hiding, redacting, and slow-walking documents on the Butler assassination attempt on President Trump. The FBI’s handling of this matter is a scandal.
A July 21, 2024, FBI electronic communication regarding a “Gmail Database Review” reveals that Venmo suspended Crooks’ account on July 14, 2024 – the day after the assassination attempt – citing “unusual activity” that might violate its user agreement. In an email to Crooks, Venmo stated that his account would remain suspended until the company heard back from him and requested a copy of his photo identification.
A separate July 22, 2024, FBI electronic communication details a “Gmail Database Review” revealing multiple financial solicitations addressed to Crooks as “Rod Swanson.” A June 2024 email from PayPal stated: “Confirmed – rod swanson! You’ve been invited to apply for the PayPal Cashback Mastercard,” addressing him directly as “rod.” Two similar Mastercard solicitations and one statement notification addressed to “rod swanson” are also included.
A July 22, 2024, FBI electronic communication details a “Foreign Dissemination Request” sent to international intelligence partners noting:
Numerous images of guns and various political and other key figures were found on Crooks’ device. There were multiple images of President Biden (POTUS) and FPOTUS, while other individuals were represented in only one to two images. A review of file paths associated with these images concluded the majority of the images appeared in cache and likely were web images, not photographs or video files.
We are currently working to identify additional details related to these images. If we identify additional content related to individuals known to be citizens of your country, our Service will provide those details via an additional memorandum.
An FBI electronic communication titled “Intel review for Bill of sale found on Crooks’ laptop for DPMS Panther Arms sporting rifle” analyzes a bill of sale recovered from Crooks’ laptop. Crooks purchased:
Blue Force Gear Adjustable sling with extra picatinny rail OD adapter:
Allows you to control weapon movement and position flexibility.
AR Flip up sights:
Normally a scope is utilized as the primary method of aim, but if the scope fails you can utilize the flip up sight.
Accu-shot 3-12×44 adjustable scope:
This is a traditional hunting scope which is lightweight, compact, and adequate magnification range.
Vortex red-dot reticle:
The Vortex red-dot sight unlike some red dots with smaller aiming points has a larger dot to focus on your target.
Eleven 30 round P-mag magazines:
This is a polymer AR magazine produced by MagPul designed to augment/replace the standard stamped steel STANAG magazine. They are available to hold various quantities from 5 to 60 rounds.
1 magazine loader:
A device designed to load magazines at higher speeds and with less effort than loading rounds by hand.
An FBI electronic communication dated July 16, 2024, details a search for Crooks’ passport and foreign-travel information. A task force officer queried DHS systems but was unable to locate passport information or foreign travel for Crooks based on available identifying information.
The FBI heavily redacted an electronic communication concerning its analysis of Crooks’ laptop, withholding the entire substantive portion of the report.
In October 2026, FBI records included photos of the Pittsburgh area taken by Crooks using a drone, cell phone evidence that showed that Crooks received fundraising appeals for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and an unusual chat thread between Crooks and an unidentified person.
In September 2026, heavily redacted FBI records revealed that Crooks purchased “a chest rig and ceramic plates,” exhibited increasingly unusual behavior, including talking to himself, pacing at night, staying awake for extended periods and exhibiting impulsivity issues.
In June 2026, heavily redacted records from the FBI that indicated that a Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officer at the July 2024 presidential rally for Donald Trump in Butler, PA, recovered a “gray remote device” with an antenna from Crooks’ pocket after he was killed.
In May 2026, we received, in response to a Pennsylvania court order, an audio recording of a 911 call placed by the father of Crooks.
In April 2026, our federal FOIA lawsuit forced the release of the first FBI records about the Butler assassination attempt, revealing that law enforcement personnel broadcast radio warnings about an “unknown male acting suspiciously” prior to the shooting.
Also in April 2026, FBI records showed that Crooks was reportedly involved in an altercation with a group of people and making “hateful comments” directed at President Trump at the Butler, PA, rally.
In August 2024, we uncovered documents under a Pennsylvania open record request from the district attorney’s office in Butler County, PA, detailing the extensive preparation of local police for the rally at which former President Trump was shot. The preparation included sniper teams, counter assault teams and a quick response force.
In August 2024, in response to a Pennsylvania open records request, we obtained bodycam footage of the July 13 assassination events from the Butler Township Police Department.
Federal Judge Sets Hearing on Unsealing Ilhan Omar Search Warrant Records
A federal judge has ordered a November 17 hearing on our push to unseal records from the FBI search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home—including the warrant, affidavits, and evidence supporting the search.
Chief Judge James E. Boasberg set a hearing for next week on our and media requests to unseal the search warrant and other records on the October 12 search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) home (In re Application of Fourteen Press Organizations for Access to Sealed Search Warrant Records, No. 1:26-mc-00144 (D.D.C.)).
On November 12, 2026, Boasberg issued the following order, specifically directing the government:
The Court ORDERS that the parties shall appear for a hearing on November 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. on Petitioners’ Applications to Unseal. The Government shall be prepared to address why materials beyond the Affidavit itself cannot be unsealed.
We filed a motion on October 15, 2026, asking the court to unseal records related to the October 12 search of Omar’s home, including the warrant, its application, supporting affidavits and attachments, any return and inventory, the docket sheet, and related briefs, motions, orders, opinions, and transcripts. The request includes records concerning the scope of the search and the court’s decision to seal the materials.
We noted its interest in allegations concerning Omar predates the search. On July 23, 2019, we filed an ethics complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics requesting an investigation into allegations of perjury, immigration fraud, marriage fraud, state and federal tax fraud, and federal student loan fraud.
We argue that the public has a right to access the warrant records under both common law and the First Amendment. Its motion states:
[T]he public’s need for access is substantial. The government has searched an elected official’s home and has publicly acknowledged an ongoing criminal investigation, even to the point of commenting on its conduct. Representative Omar has disputed the government’s account and used the search and those comments to solicit campaign contributions. News reports based on unnamed sources have added accounts of the Court’s restrictions and the government’s requests. The public has a legitimate interest in understanding the factual basis for the warrant and the government’s exercise of its investigative authority….
The Justice Department wants to hide from the public basic information about the search of Ilhan Omar’s home. At a minimum, the public should be able to see the search warrant they handed to Ilhan Omar!
We have a record of successfully seeking the release of sealed search-warrant materials in high-profile federal investigations.
In August 2022, we forced the release of a heavily redacted affidavit used to obtain the search warrant for the unprecedented FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago. The release followed a court order granting our request to unseal the records.
In August 2026, a federal court unsealed the key search warrant records behind the Biden FBI’s September 2022 seizure of Mike Lindell’s cell phone (In the Matter of the Search of a Person Located in the District of Minnesota (No. 22-mj-742 (TNL))). The records, unsealed at the request of Judicial Watch and Mike Lindell, show that the Biden FBI used private litigant Dominion Voting Systems’ then-pending $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit against Mike Lindell and others (a lawsuit that had been settled as to Lindell earlier this year) as well as other information from Dominion as part of its justification for seeking the warrant.
We have also moved to unseal warrant materials targeting Rudy Giuliani, Victoria Toensing, and Michael Caputo.
Judicial Watch Probes Election Integrity Across the Nation
Micah Morrison, our chief investigative reporter, examines in Investigative Bulletin the post-election scene and our activities in support of free and fair elections.
Judicial Watch closely monitored the mid-term elections. It’s a job we’ve been doing for more than thirty years, across Democrat and Republican administrations, as a national leader in investigating government corruption and election integrity. JW President Tom Fitton noted recently that we “keep doing what we’re doing, no matter who wins an election.” That includes probes of major election integrity scandals unfolding in real time in Alaska, Minnesota, and California.
In Alaska, the Senate race between Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola has been engulfed in controversy. In late October, The New York Times revealed that Democratic political operatives and Peltola aides were deeply involved in a scheme to drain votes from the incumbent Republican by placing another Dan Sullivan—Dan J. Sullivan—on the ranked choice ballot.
The Times reported that “not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit [Dan J. Sullivan] to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader. The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory…. It also involved the Peltola campaign’s lawyers, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which directs the party’s campaign strategy in Senate races across the country. From Washington to Anchorage, those advisers participated in regular conversations about the effort.”
As of this writing, a victor has not been named in the Alaska Senate race. JW’s Tom Fitton called it “a scandal of epic proportions,” requiring “serious criminal investigations.” Probes have been launched by the Department of Justice, the House Oversight Committee, and the Alaska Department of Public Safety.
In Minnesota, a different kind of scandal is unfolding. On October 12, federal agents executed a search warrant at the Washington home of Representative Ilhan Omar, a Democrat representing a Minneapolis district. Federal authorities are investigating immigration fraud and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas , the AP reported. Among the items seized were a cellphone, notebooks, computers, and a passport. Omar dismissed the search as an “attempt to target political enemies.”
The search of Omar’s home is shrouded in secrecy. Why the mystery? In a new court filing, Judicial Watch seeks disclosure of the warrant and related documents, including an inventory of seized assets and supporting affidavits.
Omar has not objected in court to releasing the records and has used news of the search in fundraising appeals. “Ilhan Omar is using this search to raise campaign cash, yet she hasn’t asked the courts to keep the records secret,” said JW’s Fitton. “Why is the government fighting to hide information about her alleged crimes?”
Judicial Watch has been investigating fraud allegations surrounding Omar for years. In 2019, we filed a House Ethics Committee complaint calling for a full investigation into allegations of potential involving perjury, immigration fraud, marriage fraud, state and federal tax fraud, and federal student loan fraud.
In California, Judicial Watch continues its historic efforts to compel the states to clean up dirty voter rolls, as mandated by the National Voter Registration Act. To date, JW has forced the removal of more than six million ineligible names from voter rolls nationwide, an election integrity endeavor unmatched in U.S. history.
In May, JW sued California for failing to maintain accurate voter rolls—a requirement of the NVRA. The law requires the removal of most inactive voter registrations after two general elections. The JW lawsuit charges that California failed to remove an astonishing 873,000 inactive voters from their registration rolls who have been inactive for more than two general elections. Sometimes a lot more than two general elections: tens of thousands of the registrations have been inactive for over ten years. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the American Independent Party of California and Don Wagner, an elected member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
In July, the Justice Department filed notice that it intended to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Wagner and the Independent Party. Citing data from Judicial Watch’s original complaint, the Justice Department said in its Complaint in Intervention that California “does not comply with the NVRA’s requirement that the state conduct a general program of voter registration list maintenance that makes a reasonable effort to remove persons from the voter rolls who have become ineligible.”
“Judicial Watch’s federal lawsuit confirms California has a dirty voting rolls crisis,” says JW’s Fitton. “Dirty voting rolls can mean dirty elections. California and its counties must take immediate steps to clean the over 870,000 dirty names on the voting lists.”
The national numbers on dirty voter rolls are staggering. A sampling from Judicial Watch: California earlier settled a JW lawsuit against Los Angeles County resulting in the removal of more than 1.2 million names from voter rolls. In Oregon, a JW settlement ensured that 800,000 ineligible voter names are slated for review and removal from voter registration lists. Colorado removed 372,000 ineligible voter names thanks to a Judicial Watch lawsuit and settlement. In Kentucky, state election board officials reported that “roughly 735,000 ineligible voter registrations” have been removed from voter rolls, as part of a 2018 consent decree settling a Judicial Watch lawsuit. The list goes on. For a full accounting, check out JW’s interactive Election Integrity Map.
The midterms are over. At Judicial Watch, the fight for election integrity and against government corruption continues. There’s plenty of work to do.
Most Secure Border in History, Record-Breaking Removal of Criminal Aliens
Our communities and families are much safer under President Trump’s border crackdown, as our Corruption Chronicles blog reports.
In a remarkable turnaround, the United States has the most secure border ever and in less than two years a multitude of terror threats have been eliminated with the arrest of more than 2,288 known or suspected terrorists (KST) and the removal of thousands more KSTs. Additionally, nearly 1.2 million illegal aliens have been deported during the second Trump administration and another million arrested, according to the latest government figures. The promising stats show that the tide is finally turning on the Biden administration’s catastrophic open border policies that allowed a record-breaking 7.6 million illegal immigrants into the U.S., including hundreds of thousands with serious criminal records and more than 1.7 million from countries that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determined pose a national security threat to the country.
Besides quickly securing the once-porous 1,954-mile border we share with Mexico, the Trump administration has made 12,018 gang-related arrests, including 1,965 members of the famously violent Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and 1,553 members of the equally deadly Tren de Aragua (TdA). The State Department has designated both gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) explaining that MS-13 actively recruits, organizes, and spreads violence in several countries and has conducted numerous violent attacks, including assassination and the gang uses public displays of violence to intimidate civilian populations. TdA, which originated in Venezuela and has spread its criminal enterprise throughout the U.S., is a brutal criminal group that conducts kidnappings, extorts businesses, bribes public officials, authorizes its members to attack and kill American law enforcement. The gang also assassinated a Venezuelan opposition figure. The State Department took the action last year because terrorist designations expose and isolate entities and individuals, denying them access to the U.S. financial system and the resources they need to conduct attacks.
The broad immigration crackdown indicates that the rule of law is being restored and, despite local sanctuary governments’ refusal to cooperate, communities across the country are much safer. “Less than two years after President Trump returned to office, he has fulfilled his signature promise to secure our border, arrest and deport illegal aliens, and Make America Safe Again,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, adding that more than 3 million migrants have left the U.S. during Trump’s second White House term. “We have had 17 consecutive months with ZERO illegal aliens released into our country,” the DHS secretary revealed. It marks the first time in American history that no illegal immigrants are released at the border during an entire fiscal year, due in part to the end of Biden’s catch-and-release. The Trump administration has also consistently used detention and removal tools eliminated under Biden and sent a clear message that illegal entry into the United States will not be rewarded or tolerated as it was under Biden’s joke of a Border Czar, Kamala Harris.
The numbers show that the tactic has worked, with total apprehensions in fiscal year 2026, which ended September 30, 60% lower (98,708) than the Biden administration’s single highest month alone (249,740). Additionally, nationwide encounters in fiscal year 2026 were the lowest (379,243) in the history of Customs and Border Protection (CPB), the frontline DHS agency with 69,000 employees responsible for safeguarding the nation’s borders. Under Biden the encounters were seven times higher at 2.7 million per year. Drug seizures have also improved tremendously with recent CBP stats showing nearly a million pounds seized in 2026, a 63% increase from the 600,000-pound annual average of the last four years under Biden. DHS wants to stress that the illegal aliens who have been deported are not just hard-working poor people in search of a better life. Many are violent gang members, rapists, kidnappers, murderers, and drug traffickers. They have been classified “Worst of the Worst” and DHS provides the public with their criminal record and mug shots on an extensive database that grows daily.
Tens of thousands of these criminal aliens have been rounded up in federal operations throughout the nation, mostly in cities and counties that offer them sanctuary. In a recent example, more than 1,300 illegal immigrants with serious criminal records were apprehended by federal authorities in two suburbs surrounding the nation’s capital. Among them were murderers, rapists, kidnappers, arsonists, drug traffickers, and members of criminal street gangs such as TdA, MS-13 and 18th Street.
Until next week,
