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The congressional task force investigating the July and September assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump has accused the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of stonewalling.
The Task Force on the Attempted Assassination of Donald J. Trump on Monday issued subpoenas seeking testimony from ATF employees after the bureau had not responded to lawmakers' multiple requests for documents and information, according to a news release.
"For weeks, ATF had not produced any requested documents or made any personnel available for interviews with the Task Force. However, less than one hour after the Task Force served its subpoenas yesterday for depositions, ATF made its first set of documents available to the Task Force," the release stated.
TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT TASK FORCE SAYS ATF ‘FAILED TO PRODUCE’ REQUESTED MATERIALS
A drone view during the police investigation into gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 14, 2024. (REUTERS/Carlos Osorio)
One of the subpoenas targets an agent who participated in ATF's response to the July 13 shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which Trump was injured by a bullet that grazed his right ear. Two rally goers were also hit by gunfire and a third was killed in the assassination attempt. The second subpoena is for testimony from a supervisory agent, according to the task force.
Letters announcing the subpoena from task force Chairman Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and ranking member Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., indicated the task force previously sent requests for documents and materials on Oct. 3 and Nov. 6, including for transcribed interviews from ATF personnel.
"The Task Force specifically outlined seventeen requests for document production, even going so far as to note which were the priority items. In addition, the Task Force identified three categories of requests for transcribed interviews with relevant ATF agents," the letter states.
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Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"ATF’s October 22, response was insufficient and untimely. It was delivered to the Task Force five days past the deadline, and contained less than four and half pages, more than half of which consisted of summary narratives. To date, ATF has failed to produce a single document responsive to the Task Force’s requests and has failed to make any of its personnel available for interviews."
Among the requests for production, the task force has asked the ATF for "[a]ll documents and materials related to ATF’s critical incident response on July 13, 2024 … including but not limited to … ATF’s discovery and investigation of the improvised explosive device found at the home of Matthew Crooks; and (ii) efforts to locate, the ultimate location of, and investigation of Thomas Matthew Crooks’s vehicle."
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The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) headquarters stands in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. ( Rich Clement/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In a statement, ATF spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua said the agency is "fully committed to supporting the Task Force and addressing its requests promptly and transparently."
"As part of this effort, ATF provided a detailed briefing confirming it had no formal role in planning or securing the July 13th campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. The briefing also outlined for the Task Force ATF’s response to assist the investigation after the attempted assassination occurred, including quickly tracing the firearm used in the attempt – evidence that was crucial to identifying the attempted assassin," Mastropasqua said.
"Additionally, yesterday the Department of Justice, in coordination with the FBI, the agency leading the investigation, provided the Task Force with ATF documents relevant to ATF’s response to the shooting."
Members of Congress and U.S. government agencies are still working to determine Crooks' motive in trying to assassinate Trump with an AR-15 rifle at his Butler campaign rally.
Crooks missed a lethal shot but did strike Trump's ear. He also fatally shot rally attendee Corey Comperatore and critically wounded two other attendees, David Dutch and James Copenhaver.
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Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Green Beret appointed to the 13-member House bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump, previously told reporters in August that Crooks had multiple encrypted accounts on multiple platforms based in Belgium, New Zealand and Germany. It remains unclear why Crooks had those accounts or what he used them for.
Investigators are also working to determine why Ryan Routh, the suspect charged in the second assassination attempt in September, allegedly pointed a rifle toward Trump just outside the perimeter of Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin and Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
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