Judicial Watch sues Homeland Security for records on Trump assassination attempt in Pennsylvania

The conservative legal group Judicial Watch on Tuesday sued the Department of Homeland Security for documents and data related to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania. 

The lawsuit follows a Freedom of Information Act request filed shortly after the attempted assassin Thomas Crooks opened fire on Trump and the crowd, leaving the then-candidate wounded and one rally-goer dead. 

The legal group has previously obtained records related to the event, including the Butler County District Attorney's Office's records on preparations for the rally and body-camera footage from the Butler Township police department, but said that its efforts to obtain records and data from the federal government have gone unanswered.

“Federal agencies need to come clean on the events that led up to the assassination attempts on President Trump,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “It is now eight months since the first attempt, and the American people have yet to receive any answers under FOIA on the failures of the Biden administration to protect President Trump.”

Judicial Watch said its FOIA request specifically targeted the Homeland Security Investigations unit, known as HSI, which reportedly helped provide security at the Pennsylvania rally.