Task force accuses ATF of not cooperating with investigation into assassination attempt at Trump’s Butler rally
The U.S. House of Representatives task force on the attempted assassination of now President-elect Donald Trump at the Butler Farm Show grounds in July has accused another agency of being uncooperative.
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the task force sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives accusing the agency of failing to respond to the task force’s requests for documentation regarding the assassination attempt and requesting an explanation.
According to the letter, which is addressed to high-ranking officials at the ATF, the task force requested documents and transcribed interviews from “select ATF personnel” in a letter sent Oct. 3. The November letter states that the ATF sent a response on Oct. 22, but it did not meet the task force’s approval.
“The ATF’s October 22, 2024, correspondence is less than four and half pages in length, two and a half of which consist of summary narratives,” reads the letter, which is dated Nov. 6. “To date, the ATF has failed to produce a single document responsive to the Task Force’s requests.”
The task force has set a new deadline of Wednesday, Nov. 13, for the ATF to provide what the task force is looking for.
The “schedule of production” includes — but is not limited to — transcripts of interviews conducted by the ATF, a chart of the chain of command of ATF divisions involved in the incident, written policies of the ATF’s critical incident response (and any changes that have been made since), all ATF communications related to the incident (including emails, phone logs and text messages), and copies of all documents that the ATF provided to the FBI and/or Pennsylvania State Police.
“Both the Task Force and the American people expect answers about how (a) 20-year-old … planned and executed a nearly successful assassination,” reads the task force’s letter.
The Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump, as it is officially known, was formed on July 24, 11 days after the attempt on Trump’s life that led to the death of one spectator, the serious injury of two others and the grazing of Trump’s ear.
The group consists of 13 members — seven Republicans and six Democrats, with Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, as the chairman and Jason Crow, D-Colo., as the ranking Democrat.
