Miranda Devine brought hard-nosed reporting back to the national conversation this week, laying out the digital trail of Thomas Crooks on Mark Levin’s Life, Liberty & Levin. Her work underscores what too many Americans already suspect: the truth is often uncovered by independent journalists, not by establishment institutions eager to close a story.
The assassination attempt that rocked the country occurred on July 13, 2024, when Thomas Crooks opened fire at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, wounding then-former President Donald Trump and others before being killed by Secret Service personnel. That day exposed glaring security questions and left citizens demanding honest answers about motive and method.
Devine’s reporting pulled back the curtain on a digital footprint the FBI initially downplayed, revealing that Crooks had multiple online accounts and activity that contradicts early claims there was “no footprint.” This is not a minor discrepancy; it goes to the heart of whether the American people were given a full and transparent accounting.
The FBI insists its massive probe — hundreds of agents and more than a thousand interviews, according to officials — found Crooks acted alone, and the bureau has publicly rejected allegations of a cover-up. Even so, when the government’s story shifts after journalists uncover readily available evidence, reasonable skepticism is not just allowed but necessary.
Questions multiply when details like the rapid cremation of Crooks’ body and claims about withheld files emerge, as commentators like Tucker Carlson have highlighted and as the mainstream narrative has struggled to fully answer. Those are not conspiracy theories; they are uncomfortable facts that deserve scrutiny, not dismissal, from a department whose credibility is already frayed.
Patriots who love this country should want robust, independent investigations — not cover-ups or curtain calls designed to soothe a restless public. That means Congress must demand documents, journalists must keep digging, and law enforcement must explain how dozens of online accounts were overlooked or minimized in official briefings. Representative concerns and calls for transparency have been raised by members of Congress who say files were withheld and warnings ignored, and those demands should be taken seriously.
We owe a debt to the brave first responders who stopped the shooter and to journalists who refuse to let the story die, but gratitude is not a substitute for accountability. If Americans are to trust federal institutions again, leaders must move beyond spin and deliver the full record — every message, every device, every interview — so the truth is unambiguous and justice is seen to be done.
