PITTSBURGH, PA – A federal judge has ruled that records gathered by a grand jury investigating the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, may be disclosed to Congress and other federal investigative agencies. The decision, issued Thursday by Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon, follows a motion from the U.S. Attorney’s Office seeking permission to share the material outside the grand jury process.
The records were obtained as part of the FBI’s investigation into Thomas Crooks, who on July 13, 2024, opened fire at a Trump campaign rally, killing one attendee and injuring two others before being fatally shot by law enforcement. Prosecutors said the documents include pre-existing business records such as phone, email, and financial data collected through subpoenas. No witness testimony or grand jury deliberations were involved, and the grand jury’s role was limited to receiving the records.
In its motion, the government argued that the materials fall outside the secrecy protections of Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) because they were created independently of the grand jury and do not reveal the body’s inner workings. Citing prior appellate rulings, prosecutors emphasized that business records obtained through subpoenas are not “matters occurring before the grand jury” and therefore may be disclosed.
Judge Bissoon agreed, concluding that the records “are not ‘matters occurring before the grand jury’ within the meaning of Rule 6(e)” and authorizing their release to “United States investigative agencies and Congress, and their staff.” The order also unseals both the government’s motion and the court’s decision.
The ruling allows federal investigators and congressional committees to examine evidence related to Crooks’s actions and possible motives in what remains one of the most consequential assassination attempts in modern U.S. political history.
A federal judge ruled that grand jury records from the Trump assassination attempt investigation can now be shared with Congress and federal investigators.
