Tuesday, December 23, 2025
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Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Milwaukee Press Club 'Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism' 2020 & 2021 Award Winners

Thomas Matthew Crooks Named by FBI as Trump Assassination Suspect

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Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, has been named by the FBI as the 20-year-old suspect who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a July 13 rally.

“The FBI has identified Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, as the subject involved in the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania. This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and anyone with information that may assist with the investigation is encouraged to submit photos or videos online at FBI.gov/butler or call 1-800-CALL-FBI,” a statement published by the FBI reads.

The New York Post was first to accuse Crooks of being the gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The Washington Post reported that Crooks shot Trump with an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. The Post also reported that Crooks is registered as a Republican voter in a state database.

Thomas crooks campaign donation
Thomas crooks campaign donation.

FEC records show he contributed $15 to the Progressive Turnout Project, which The New York Times described as “a liberal voter turnout group.” He had no criminal history.

Roger Stone, whose close ties to Trump are well-known, named another man on X as the possible shooter, but the FBI now says the suspect is Crooks, USA Today reported.

The shooter is deceased. A Secret Service news release says the assassin was “neutralized” by agents. In a late-night news conference, however, a top FBI official initially said authorities were not yet confident enough to release the shooter’s identity formally.

The man named by the Post is from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, the publication reported.

A GoFundMe was established for the victims and their families. “This is the official Trump campaign fundraiser for the victims of the shooting in Pennsylvania,” U.S. Sen. JD Vance, a potential VP pick, wrote on X.

The Post reported that the suspect was positioned on a roof “130 yards away” from Trump.

The shooter’s proximity to the stage on a rooftop raises serious questions about why the Secret Service did not secure all rooftops in the line of sight of the former president, who said he was shot in the ear but is expected to be okay.

Video emerged showing the assassin on a rooftop.

The Secret Service wrote in a news release that a rallygoer was shot and killed, and two others were “critically injured.” The “suspected shooter fired multiple shots toward the stage from an elevated position outside of the rally venue,” that release says.

The assassination attempt was caught on dramatic video, sort of a live version of the Zapruder film, but the former president survived by inches; a dramatic photo showed a bullet whizzing by close to his head. Trump clutched his ear and then went to the ground. The Secret Service rushed the stage, but the former president stood, told them to wait, and then defiantly thrust his fist into the air, face bloodied.

Trump suspect
Trump suspect is dead.

An unidentified rallygoer wasn’t so fortunate; the video showed the man, who was not named, being carried from the bleachers, face covered in a towel. A witness revealed he was killed by a headshot in front of his family.

“His family watched his happen. They were in the bleachers when he got hit and went down. They were trying to figure out what was going on. They were screaming for help. They put a towel over the man’s head. The body was removed from the bleachers,” the witness told CNN. “The police came back right after and tried to move the family. They were all in shock. They weren’t processing what was going on. He was dead the minute he was hit. It reminded me of the Zapruder film from Kennedy. His head snapped and that was it.”


The Motive for the Suspect, Thomas Matthew Crooks, Is Not Yet Clear, the FBI Says

The FBI’s special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh office, Kevin P. Rojek, said in the late-night news conference that the agency had deployed multiple resources, including bomb technicians. Rojek said the FBI was calling the shooting an “assassination attempt against our former President Donald Trump.” He said it remained an active crime scene.

The motive for the assassination attempt was not yet clear, Rojek said, refusing to identify the gunman at the news conference. The FBI official said that authorities would formally release the suspect’s name when they are 100 percent confident in it. “At this time, we are not prepared to identify who the shooter is,” he said, adding that the agency was close to doing so. He said that investigators are working “tirelessly” to identify what the motive was. The FBI later released the name.

“They do the initial security assessments and determine where the different security locations should be. And they’re the ones who are in charge of securing the scene,” Rojek said of the U.S. Secret Service, which was not at the news conference.

Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at the news conference that authorities are “not taking for granted that this was a lone-wolf attack.” He said the spectator victims have been identified and are all males, but he declined to release their names.

In a statement on Truth Social, Trump said that he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, and shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!”

He wrote that “nothing is known at this time about the shooter” and offered condolences to the family of the person killed and the person “badly injured.” That statement came some time before the Post published a name, however.

Social media accounts, including an Instagram account, were being bandied about on social media but could not be immediately verified as the shooter’s.


The Accused Shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, Was Spotted by a Witness ‘Bear Crawling’ Up a Roof, a Witness Says

A witness who was outside former President Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally told BBC in a video interview that he saw the shooting suspect “crawling, bear crawling, up the roof beside us, 50 feet away from us.”

At first, the witness said, he didn’t know why a man was “crawling up the roof. There are only a few buildings around here. Why isn’t the Secret Service on every building?”

Another video, which you can watch below, showed what rally attendees said was the suspect’s body on a roof. The attempted assassin appears to be wearing camouflage clothing. Numerous false names were being shared on X and other social media platforms.

The witness’s account raised serious questions about how the gunman was allowed to access the roof without the Secret Service securing it or noticing.

We “pointed at the guy crawling up the roof. You could clearly see him with a rifle,” the witness, whose name was not given, told BBC on video. He said he and others in his group frantically tried to point the man out to the Secret Service and police, but no one acted for several minutes. And he questioned why Secret Service agents weren’t positioned on every roof in the area.

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Assembly Leaders Call for Dugan’s Resignation, Threaten Impeachment

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Republican Assembly leaders say they will begin impeachment proceedings if Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan does not resign from her post immediately following a felony obstruction conviction Thursday evening.

Dugan was found guilty of obstructing as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were attempting to arrest a defendant in her court outside of the courtroom.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, and Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August, R-Walworth, sent a statement Friday noting that the last Wisconsin judge was impeached in 1853 but that the Assembly would begin impeachment proceedings if Dugan doesn’t resign.

Dugan’s legal team indicated Thursday that she would appeal the jury’s decision.

“Under a 1976 Attorney General Opinion, Democrat Bronson La Follette stated that when a State Senator was convicted of a felony, a vacancy was created, and the Senator ‘was effectually divested of any right or title to the office. His status with reference to the office was fixed at the time of his conviction,’ the leaders wrote. “Such is the case here, and Judge Dugan must recognize that the law requires her resignation.

“Wisconsinites deserve to know their judiciary is impartial and that justice is blind. Judge Hannah Dugan is neither, and her privilege of serving the people of Wisconsin has come to an end.”

The jury found Dugan not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of concealing related to defendant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was later arrested on the street outside the courthouse and has since been deported.

The obstruction charge could lead to up to five years in prison.

The Assembly leaders cited the Wisconsin constitution, which says “‘[n]o person convicted of a felony, in any court within the United States, no person convicted in federal court of a crime designated, at the time of commission, under federal law as a misdemeanor involving a violation of public trust and no person convicted, in a court of a state, of a crime designated, at the time of commission, under the law of the state as a misdemeanor involving a violation of public trust shall be eligible to any office of trust, profit or honor in this state unless pardoned of the conviction.”

“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in the matter,” her legal team said after the verdict was read. “We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning.”

Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan Guilty of Felony Obstruction During ICE Arrest

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of a felony charge of obstruction by a jury Thursday in a case involving the judge’s actions related to a defendant in her court that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were attempting to arrest outside of the courtroom.

The jury returned the verdict at 8:38 p.m. Central Time.

The jury found Dugan not guilty of a misdemeanor charge of concealing related to defendant Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was later arrested on the street outside the courthouse and has since been deported.

The obstruction charge could lead to up to a $100,000 fine and a year in prison.

“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in the matter,” her legal team said. “We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning.”

Video from the courthouse depicts Dugan speaking with ICE officers in the hallway outside her courtroom and defendant Flores-Ruiz walking through a back hallway with a person identified in an affidavit as his attorney before heading to an elevator and then being chased down and arrested on the street outside of the courthouse.

FBI, DOJ Foil Plot For New Year’s Eve Bombings in Southern California

Four alleged members of a pro-Palestine terror group were arrested in connection with alleged plans for New Year’s Eve bombings across Southern California.

Authorities announced the arrests during a news conference Monday with First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis and Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

Essayli said all four suspects are from the Los Angeles area. He said one suspect created a plan to bomb five or more locations across Los Angeles and Orange County, with step-by-step instructions on building improvised explosive devices.

The arrests were made last week in Lucerne Valley, which is east of Los Angeles.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI prevented the bombings.

“The Turtle Island Liberation Front — a far-left, pro-Palestine, anti-government, and anti-capitalist group — was preparing to conduct a series of bombings against multiple targets in California beginning on New Year’s Eve,” Bondi posted on X. “The group also planned to target ICE agents and vehicles.”

Bondi credited “an incredible effort” and "intense investigation" by the FBI and the U.S, Attorney’s Offices for foiling the plot.

“We will continue to pursue these terror groups and bring them to justice,” Bondi said.

Wisconsin All-Terrain, Utility Vehicles Registration Loophole Closed

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin all-terrain and utility task vehicle drivers now must follow Wisconsin laws on where they can drive the vehicles and must pay trail registration fees regardless of where the vehicle is registered.

The bill was recently signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers and it became Wisconsin Act 64.

The law requires any ATV or UTV to follow state law based upon how Wisconsin would classify the vehicle regardless of what the title says for the state where the vehicle is registered.

Lawmakers said the goal of the bill was to close a loophole where Wisconsin UTV and ATV owners would register a vehicle in South Dakota and Montana but drive it in Wisconsin.

“They’re contacting people in Wisconsin and saying ‘Hey, if you register your UTV to an LLC in Montana or South Dakota, we can license that as a motor vehicle, not as an ATV or UTV,’” sponsor Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, said during a public hearing on the bill. “And, because of that, they tell Wisconsin residents that you can now use this motor vehicle on any road in the state of Wisconsin.”

The current system of UTV and ATV routes and trails in the state and laws on using those vehicles are locally regulated and usage is determined on the local level.

The new law allows nonresidents access to all Wisconsin ATV and UTV trails and approved routes with a nonresident trail pass.

The registration system is a tax that allows ATV and UTV owners to pay their way by paying for the trail system, Wisconsin ATV Association President Randy Harden said during a public hearing. This means it is important that out-of-state vehicle owners also pay for using the system.

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Thousands of Afghan Refugees Qualified For Slew of Costly Benefits

Tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees, including the gunman charged in the shootings of two National Guard members, killing one just blocks from the White House, were eligible for a slew of benefits, including housing and medical at the expense of the American taxpayer.

Following the pullout of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021, the Biden administration admitted nearly 200,000 evacuees between 2021 and 2023, including two recently arrested on terrorism charges. Through various reports and testimony by government officials, it was revealed that many of the Afghan nationals couldn’t be properly vetted.

Afghans who entered the U.S. on a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), under a special immigrant parole (SQ/SI), and were granted humanitarian parole as part of the Biden Administration’s Operation Allies Welcome were eligible for over a dozen taxpayer benefits, many continuing four years later.

The benefits include: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), HUD Public Housing and Section 8 housing vouchers, emergency Medicaid, Affordable Care Act health plans and subsidies, full-scope Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), federal student aid and Pell grants, REAL ID, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act services, refugee resettlement programs through the Office of Refugee Resettlement and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), according to the National Immigration Law Center.

For those who didn’t qualify for SSI or TANF, refugees were eligible for up to 12 months of Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) through the ORR.

In addition, many refugees qualified for employment assistance through Refugee Support Services, which included: childcare, transportation, “employability services,” job training and preparation, job search assistance, placement and retention, English language training, translation and interpreter services and case management, according to the Administration for Children and Families Office of Refugee Resettlement.

The ORR also noted that “some clients may be eligible for specialized programs such as health services, technical assistance for small business start-ups and financial savings.”

Many refugees also qualified for “immigration-related legal assistance” to assist them “on their pathway to obtaining a permanent status.”

Despite the multitude of services provided to Afghan refugees, “they are less likely to be proficient in English, have lower educational attainment, and lower labor force participation” compared to other immigrants in the U.S., according to the Migration Policy Institute. Additionally, “compared to both the native born and the overall foreign-born population, they are much more likely to be living in poverty.”

The institute noted that Afghans “tend to have lower educational attainment” compared to American and foreign-born populations, citing a 2022 statistic showing 28% of Afghan immigrants age 25 and older “reported having at least a bachelor’s degree” as compared to 36% of Americans and 35% of all foreign-born populations.

While 29% of Afghan adults reported having less than a high school diploma, compared to 25% of other immigrant populations, there were some slight improvements among those who arrived in the U.S. between 2020 and 2022, with 36% having at least a four-year degree. However, that figure is 12 points less than other immigrant populations arriving during the same period.

The institute highlighted the “relatively low labor force participation rate” of Afghan immigrants ages 16 and older, showing that in 2022, 61% were in the civilian labor market, compared to 67% of other immigrant populations and 63% of U.S.-born individuals.

Afghan immigrants have a higher poverty rate compared to the American and foreign-born populations. As of 2022, 39% of Afghan nationals were living in poverty, compared to 12% of Americans and 14% of other immigrant populations.

Among the many benefits Afghan refugees are eligible to receive, one of the most costly may be housing in the form of public housing and the Section 8 program.

The institute showed that a majority of immigrants from Afghanistan are concentrated in some of the regions with the highest housing costs in the nation, including the metro areas of Washington, D.C., Sacramento, San Fransico, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle and San Diego.

When asked if Afghan refugees are still receiving housing benefits, a HUD official told The Center Square that the department “is working in coordination with appropriate agencies to align the Department’s guidance related to immigration status to ensure taxpayer-funded benefits are not used for any unintended purpose.”

Adding to housing benefits, The Center Square reported Tuesday exclusively that amid a national housing crisis, the Biden administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development produced guidelines encouraging property owners to forgo some fair housing practices to favor Afghan refugees, which the Trump administration directed to be terminated.

The Center Square obtained a HUD directive from the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity rescinding the Biden-era guidance document, “Operation Allies Welcome: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Fair Housing Issues,” and withdrawing from a FHEO guidance document “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Renting to Refugees and Eligible Newcomers,” which the agency claims violates the Fair Housing Act.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner argues the Biden-era guidelines prioritized nearly 200,000 Afghan refugees who were admitted following the 2021 pullout of American forces from Afghanistan by encouraging landlords and property owners to forgo credit checks, occupancy limitations, and engage in targeted marketing toward Afghans.

“After President Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, his administration made a bad situation worse by prioritizing housing assistance for Afghan refugees, who we now know were unvetted and unchecked,” Turner told The Center Square. “Since day one, our mission has been clear: to serve the American people and end the misuse and abuse of American taxpayer-funded resources. That is why we rescinded this Operation Allies Welcome guidance, which encouraged landlords and property owners to violate federal civil rights law to protect Afghan refugees. Under President Trump’s leadership, the days of putting Americans last is over.”

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