Staff Reports
The FBI’s new public accounting of the July 2024 attack in Butler finally puts cold, hard facts on the table: Director Kash Patel told the nation that the shooter, identified as Thomas Crooks, “acted alone,” and that investigators were able to access foreign-based email accounts tied to the suspect — including addresses in Germany and Belgium — early in the probe. That admission matters because it contradicts earlier, confusing messaging and proves the bureau pursued leads around the globe to determine whether anyone else was involved.
Conservatives should welcome clarity when it’s offered, and Patel deserves credit for bluntly describing the scale of the work: hundreds of thousands of electronic files reviewed and cooperation from foreign partners to fully inspect those overseas accounts. For months many of us were told there was an “online ghost” with nothing to find; that simply wasn’t true, and it’s right to demand accountability for the misinformation that sowed doubt and conspiracy.
According to the FBI’s own accounting, agents reviewed more than 500,000 individual files, conducted over 1,000 interviews, and sifted through roughly 35 accounts and a baker’s dozen electronic devices connected to Crooks and his circle. Those numbers show the bureau didn’t take shortcuts — they ran a global, methodical probe — which makes it all the more important that the public get a consistent narrative from the start.
That said, independent reporting from conservative investigators and media figures forced useful new details into the light, exposing that Crooks had a much bigger digital footprint than early statements suggested and that private investigators were able to trace encrypted foreign addresses and other accounts. Whether you applaud every method used by outside investigators or not, their work pushed for transparency that the public deserved from day one.
Still, even with Patel’s blunt update, many patriotic Americans remain rightly skeptical — not of law enforcement’s bravery, but of prior bureaucratic missteps that downplayed Crooks’ online presence and left questions about why red flags weren’t flagged sooner. We should accept the FBI’s conclusion only after demanding the paper trail: release the findings to Congress, let oversight committees do their job, and show where information flow broke down so it never happens again.
Patel’s team insists there is “no foreign connection,” and that no outside government or actor directed or enabled the attack — a relief if true, but not a reason for complacency. Conservatives must push for tougher enforcement on domestic radicalization, smarter monitoring of violent online subcultures while protecting free speech, and real penalties for agencies and platforms that ignore the warning signs.
Finally, this episode is a brutal reminder that political violence has real victims and real consequences; we owe it to those victims to pursue truth and justice without partisan gamesmanship. Support the agents who did the work, demand answers from anyone who misled the public, and continue to insist on a secure nation where rugged free expression and personal safety coexist — because America deserves nothing less.
