Ever since Donald Trump was shot at in Butler, PA, last summer, two equally false conspiracy theories have been propagated on opposite sides of the political spectrum: Some believe that the assassination attempt was faked and Trump wasn’t really shot, while others say some vast conspiracy must have been responsible, beyond the known shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks.
A report in the New York Post on Thursday provided an “update” on the investigation.
The Post report said that “investigators” are saying that the 20-year-old Crooks, who was killed by law enforcement at the scene, may have had an accomplice- and that the FBI is “suppressing” information in the case.
Crooks did not leave behind any manifesto, and his motive has not been established. Subsequent reports did state that he did Internet searches for both Trump and then-President Joe Biden, indicating that he gave thought to killing both.
JUST IN: Personnel within the FBI have been obstructing an investigation into the actions and potential “accomplices” of Thomas Crooks, the would-be Trump assassin in Butler, PA – NYP pic.twitter.com/iyBVLm65tO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 27, 2025
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However, while “investigators” implies that the information is coming from official law enforcement associated with the case, in this case, it refers to a private investigator who is investigating the assassination attempt on behalf of a private client.
The private investigator, Doug Hagmann, claims a “criminal network” was operating along with Crooks.
“We don’t think he acted alone,” Hagmann told the newspaper. “This took a lot of coordination. In my view, Crooks was handled by more than one individual, and he was used for this [assassination attempt]. And I wouldn’t preclude the possibility that there were people at the rally itself helping him.”
The analysis also used geofencing analysis but did not determine who Crooks’ alleged accomplices may have been. Geofencing has been used to further some bogus conspiracy theories, most notably Dinesh D’Souza’s since-discredited 2020 election documentary 2000 Mules.
It’s unclear who Hagmann’s client is, whether he’s still working on that client’s behalf, and why he went to the press with his findings.
The Post also quoted Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), the chairman of a committee in Congress that is also investigating the assassination attempt, as stating that “he believes Crooks acted alone and there was no conspiracy.” Higgins’ own theory is that the shooter was on a prescription drug that made him “go crazy.”
Photo courtesy of the Political Tribune media library.
