Newly released FBI records show a Butler County Sheriff's deputy exchanged emails with Thomas Matthew Crooks before Crooks attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during a July 13, 2024, rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to the watchdog group Judicial Watch, quoting documents it has received. 

The records, consisting of 48 heavily redacted pages released through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, also reveal that a SWAT officer recovered a "gray remote device" with an antenna and a cell phone from Crooks' pocket after he was fatally shot by law enforcement, the organization said.

Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said the records raise additional questions about the events surrounding the assassination attempt.

"Our federal lawsuit continues to force the release of new information from the assassination attempt at the Butler rally," Fitton said.

"The American people deserve full transparency about Thomas Crooks, his contacts, and why key details about this case remain hidden nearly a year later," he said.

The documents were released as part of Judicial Watch's lawsuit against the Justice Department after the FBI failed to respond to a July 2024 FOIA request seeking records related to Crooks and the assassination attempt.

The request sought investigative files, interview summaries, reports, communications, media records, database entries, and communications involving Crooks.

One of the newly released records is a heavily redacted FBI electronic communication dated July 17, 2024, summarizing interviews with five deputies from the Butler County Sheriff's Office.

According to the document, one deputy told investigators she had exchanged two emails with Crooks before the shooting. The nature of the communications was redacted.

The deputy told investigators she did not initially recognize Crooks when his identity became public following the shooting.

However, she said a New York Times reporter contacted her on the Sunday after the attack with questions about Crooks.

After reviewing her records, the deputy told investigators she located two emails from Crooks concerning a redacted subject matter. She said she had no personal interaction with him beyond the email exchanges.

Much of the interview remains redacted, leaving unanswered questions about why Crooks contacted the deputy and what information was discussed.

The records also contain a detailed FBI FD-302 interview summary of a Beaver County Emergency Services Unit medic who responded to the rally.

The medic told investigators she arrived at the Butler County fairgrounds at approximately 9 a.m. on July 13 and was assigned to provide medical support for emergency services personnel and law enforcement officers stationed at the event.

According to the interview, members of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit had been monitoring reports from their sniper team regarding a suspicious individual in the area before the shooting occurred.

The medic said the team was later mobilized after hearing reports of gunfire and casualties.

She recalled traveling in an armored BearCat vehicle toward the scene and later receiving information that medical assistance was needed at the nearby American Glass Research building, where the suspected shooter had been located.

The medic said she was told there could be multiple injured officers, a possible shootout, and that the shooter was down.

After arriving at the building, she climbed a collapsible ladder to reach the roof and arrived at approximately 6:23 p.m.

She told investigators she found no wounded officers on the roof and was instead directed to examine the shooter.

According to the report, Crooks was lying face down and had injuries "not sustainable for life."

The medic checked for a carotid pulse and found none, pronouncing him dead at approximately 6:25 p.m.

The medic said Crooks was restrained with flex-cuffs and that his rifle was lying nearby.

She told investigators that a Washington County SWAT officer searched Crooks' right pocket and recovered both a cell phone and a gray remote device equipped with numerical push buttons and an antenna.

The report states that explosive ordinance disposal personnel later arrived on the roof to inspect the device.

The medic further recalled that authorities became concerned after a police canine alerted on the American Glass Research building beneath them.

She said personnel on the roof were instructed to evacuate the area while Crooks' body remained in place.

The medic told investigators she does not know when Crooks' body was ultimately removed from the roof.

She remained at the scene until after 1 a.m. on July 14 and later participated in a debriefing with the Butler County Emergency Services Unit.

The newly released records are the latest disclosures obtained through Judicial Watch's ongoing litigation related to the Butler shooting.

In February, records released in a separate Judicial Watch lawsuit showed that law enforcement officers broadcast radio warnings about an "unknown male acting suspiciously" before the attack.

In May, the group obtained an audio recording of a 911 call placed by Crooks' father on the day of the shooting.

Trump was wounded during the attack. One rally attendee was killed and two others were wounded before Crooks was fatally shot by law enforcement officers.