Trump Assassination Task Force Says ATF ‘Failed to Submit’ Requested Materials

The congressional task force investigating the assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump in July and September says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) “failed to produce” certain materials the task force is investigating as part of its ongoing had requested an investigation into both incidents.

On October 3, the task force sent a letter to the ATF regarding 17 “production requests” as well as three categories of requests for select transcribed interviews with relevant ATF agents who had performed support or response roles in connection with the “Trump assassination attempts.” Butler, Pennsylvania, and West Palm Beach, Florida.

The ATF responded on Oct. 22 with correspondence that is “less than four and a half pages long, two and a half of which consist of summary narratives,” the task force said in its letter released Wednesday.

“To date, the ATF has failed to produce a single document in response to the task force’s requests. This failure is underscored by the fact that the ATF failed to meet the task force’s October 10, 2024 deadline to begin ongoing production of documents,” the letter states.

Assassination attempt on Trump: Secret service failures could justify discipline, agency report says

The task force also described the ATF’s response as “woefully inadequate given the task force’s requests for physical documents and materials.”

Read more on the Fox News app

The Secret Service knew that airspace protection would end when the former president took the stage

“Both the task force and the American people await answers about how 20-year-old Thomas Crooks planned and carried out a near-successful assassination attempt, including significant evidence found in Thomas Crooks’ home – a suspected improvised explosive device (IED). , materials related to “manufacture of IEDs as well as other explosives discovered in Crooks’ vehicle,” the letter states.

“While ATF played no role in coordinating the event itself, ATF provided meaningful assistance in obtaining and investigating evidence related to Crooks’ firearm and residence.”

The task force requests that the ATF respond no later than November 13th. The agency told Fox News Digital in a statement that it had received the task force’s letter and was “working in close coordination with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and…” The Department of Homeland Security is committed to working with the task force to work together to meet their requests.”

“As part of this collaboration, ATF has already provided the task force with a detailed briefing clarifying that ATF played no formal role in the planning or security of the July 13 campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania,” ATF chief spokeswoman said Kristina Mastropasqua. “We look forward to continuing this commitment to address the task force’s request for information while fulfilling the Department of Justice’s obligations to protect the integrity of ongoing investigations by our federal and state law enforcement partners.”

Alleged Trump assassination suspect Ryan Routh has pleaded not guilty to more serious charges

Among the 17 production requests, the task force is asking the ATF for “[a]All documents and materials relating to ATF’s response to a critical incident on July 13, 2024… including, but not limited to… ATF’s discovery and investigation of the improvised explosive device found at the home of Matthew Crooks; and (ii) efforts to locate and investigate the final location of Thomas Matthew Crooks’ vehicle.”

READ THE LETTER:

Members of Congress and U.S. government agencies are still working to determine Crook’s motive for attempting to assassinate Trump with an AR-15 at his Butler campaign rally.

Crooks ultimately managed to get Trump’s ear. He also fatally shot rally participant Corey Comperatore and critically injured two other participants, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Green Beret who was appointed to the 13-member bipartisan House task force investigating the attempted murder Assassination of Trumptold reporters back in August that Crooks had multiple encrypted accounts on multiple platforms in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany. It remains unclear why Crooks had these accounts or what he used them for.

Investigators are also working to determine why Ryan Routh, the suspect charged in the second assassination attempt in September, allegedly pointed a rifle at Trump just outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Original source of the article: Trump Assassination Task Force Says ATF ‘Failed to Submit’ Requested Materials