Crime & JusticeDeveloping
New FBI Records Detail Coded Texts, 3D Printing by Trump Rally Shooter Crooks
By Mantle News
Coverage spectrum
Covered by 4 outlets, all right-leaning.
7 articles in total, 2 of them opinion. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias
Judicial Watch says it obtained 249 pages of new FBI records on Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump at a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing Corey Comperatore and wounding others. The group says it received the files through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in July 2025. The records include a February 2023 exchange in which an “unknown contact” asked Crooks, “Did you 3D print the parts?” and Crooks replied, “Yes, except for the fan blades.” Other messages, exchanged with a second, redacted party between May 2023 and January 2024, consist of brief, cryptic strings of text. The FBI has said it found no evidence Crooks acted with an accomplice, and has indicated the full investigative file runs roughly 75,000 pages.
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Judicial Watch says it obtained 249 pages of new FBI records on Crooks through a FOIA lawsuit filed in July 2025
Reported byRight
Records show a February 2023 exchange in which an unknown contact asked Crooks if he had 3D-printed parts, and Crooks replied, 'Yes, except for the fan blades'
Reported byRight
A separate redacted chat thread with a different contact contains brief, cryptic one- or two-word messages sent between May 2023 and January 2024
Reported byRight
Records reference drone photographs connected to Crooks, including of Pittsburgh stadiums
Reported byRight
Crooks' father told investigators his son owned a 3D printer and had once tried to create a handgun
Reported byRight
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The FBI has said it found no evidence Crooks acted with an accomplice
Reported byRight
The Justice Department has indicated the full Crooks investigative file totals roughly 75,000 pages
Reported byRight
What is contested
Where accounts differ
Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.
What the 'fan blades' comment in Crooks' texts refers to
RedState says it is unclear what is meant by 'fan blades,' noting nothing in a known weapon matches the term; other outlets report the exchange without addressing its meaning.
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the left
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the center
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the right
4 outlets · 2 opinion
Right-leaning outlets largely frame the story around newly surfaced FBI records of Crooks' cryptic texts and 3D-printer activity obtained via Judicial Watch's FOIA lawsuit; Breitbart and PJ Media place more emphasis on the broader investigative file and redactions, while Fox News, the New York Post, RedState and Daily Mail focus more narrowly on the coded 3D-printing messages themselves.
Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks sent mysterious text messages about a 3D printer before shooting
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just... strange
In the outlets’ own words
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just... strangeMore neutral: unusual
Adds an unsupported editorial characterization of the material rather than describing it factually
And some of this released information is just... strange.
Used byRedState (Far Right)
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From the left
0 outletsNo left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the center
0 outletsNo center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
From the right
4 outlets · 2 opinionLeads with
- Judicial Watch's FOIA lawsuit
- coded or cryptic text messages
- 3D-printed gun parts
- ongoing FBI redactions
See the 7 headlines from the rightHide the headlines
- Daily MailRight
Attempted Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks sent mysterious text messages about a 3D printer before shooting
His father, Matthew Crooks, told investigators that his son owned a 3D printer and had once tried to create a handgun.
- Fox NewsFar Right
Trump's attempted assassin sent mysterious texts about 3D printer leading up to Butler, Pa. shooting: report
FBI records obtained by Judicial Watch reveal Thomas Matthew Crooks sent cryptic coded texts and took drone photos of Pittsburgh stadiums before the attack
Also published by New York Post. It counts once.
- New York PostRight
Would-be Trump assassin Thomas Crooks texted mystery persons about his 3D printer and ‘gifts’
It’s unclear why the FBI determined that these communications were “pertinent” to their investigation.
- Breitbart NewsFar Right
FBI Records Reveal Trump Gunman's Redacted Chat Thread, Drone Photos
Judicial Watch announced that it obtained 249 pages of new FBI records detailing a redacted "chat thread" tied to Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a July 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Two Years After Butler, FBI Files Are Still Filling in the Crooks Story
More than two years have passed since Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed onto a rooftop in Butler, Pa., opened fire on then presidential candidate Donald Trump, killed Corey Comperatore, and wounded Trump and two other men. …
New From FBI Files: Crooks 3D-Printed Glock Parts Before Butler
Thanks to Judicial Watch, we've seen the release of more of the FBI documentation around the attempt on President Trump's life at Butler, Pennsylvania during the 2024 campaign. …
Trump’s attempted assassin sent mysterious texts about 3D printer leading up to Butler, Pa. shooting: report
New York Post published a report that is shown in full at Fox News.
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First to report
Breitbart News, Oct 2, 6:11 PM EDT
See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
- Breitbart NewsFar RightOct 2, 6:11 PM EDT
- New York PostRightOct 2, 6:35 PM EDT
- Fox NewsFar RightOct 3, 10:31 AM EDT
- Daily MailRightOct 3, 3:51 PM EDT
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