Tucker Carlson has once again stirred the political waters with his latest investigation, which has captured the attention of many within the MAGA community. In his recent exposé, Carlson posits that Thomas Crooks, who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, may have ties to a foreign terrorist organization.

The former Fox News host and his team have released a detailed 34-minute video scrutinizing the digital footprint of Crooks, the 20-year-old who came perilously close to killing Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, back in July 2024. Crooks’ bullet narrowly missed Trump’s skull, a mere inch away.

Despite more than a year passing since this shocking attempt on Trump’s life, the FBI has yet to clearly establish Crooks’ motives or determine whether he acted alone or had accomplices. This lingering ambiguity has left many questions unanswered.

Carlson’s investigation sheds light on Crooks’ online activity, particularly his YouTube interactions from 2019 to 2020. These digital breadcrumbs reveal a troubling transformation in Crooks’ beliefs, transitioning from a Trump supporter to someone embracing far-left ideologies. His comments online included alarming calls for assassinations and political violence.

One of the most concerning aspects of Carlson’s findings is Crooks’ engagement with a user named ‘Willy_Tepes.’ This user appeared to incite Crooks towards violence, exemplified by a chilling message sent on August 4, 2020: ‘If a gun and a badge is all that is needed, then authority obviously comes from the barrel of a gun. We have more guns than they do ;)’

He wrote to Crooks on August 4, 2020, ‘If a gun and a badge is all that is needed, then authority obviously comes from the barrel of a gun. We have more guns than they do ;)’

‘There is no way we can avoid a war at this point, so you just better get used to the idea,’ he added.

Carlson claims that Tepes’s name is listed on a foreign Antifa website connecting him to the Nordic Resistance Movement – a neo-Nazi group based in Scandinavia which has been designated a terrorist organization by the State Department.

The deep-dive from the former Fox News stemmed from a tip he received from an anonymous source who he said gained access to Crooks’ wiped social media accounts

Crooks allegedly interacted with a YouTube user who had links to a foreign terrorist organization that encouraged him to commit acts of violence

‘The FBI hasn’t made any mention of him in public, although they certainly know he exists. Just days after the shooting, somebody screenshotted Tepes’ YouTube account page despite the fact that he has very few followers,’ Carlson said.

‘To the extent that he can be traced online now, you can find his username being used on a foreign Antifa website, those sites link him to the Nordic Resistance Movement … that’s all we know.’ 

Tepes wrote in another reply to Crooks about government efforts to seize guns from citizens.

‘The more guns that are out there, the less likely a gun confiscation will be possible. Nope, guns do not guarantee a victory anymore than jet fighters, tanks and drones do. It is the fighting spirit and brains that wins.’

‘We have nothing to lose and everything to win…..and the alternative, a global police state, is unacceptable. Nothing in life is simple but that is no argument against doing it :)’

Following Tepes’ online interactions with Crooks, the Trump shooter’s YouTube commenting ends.

Moreover, Crooks’ political views seemingly shifted dramatically towards left-wing ideology around early 2020.

In January 2020, Crooks reportedly attacked Trump for his ‘stupidity’ in one of his YouTube comments and mocked Trump supporters for sounding like a ‘cult.’

Trump nearly died when Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at him in July 2024

Crooks then reportedly called for anti-Trump supporters to conduct ‘terrorism-style attacks’ against the US government.

The future assassin outlined ways to ‘sneak a bomb’ into a government building and ‘set it off before anyone sees you,’ according to Carlson.

‘[In my opinion] the only way to fight the [government] is with terrorism style attacks, sneak a bomb into an essential building [and] set it off before anyone sees you, track down and important people/politicians/military leaders etc and try to assassinate them. Any sort of head to head fight is suicide and ambush/surprise attacks likely aren’t going to end well,’ Crooks allegedly wrote on YouTube.

MAGA influencers and lawmakers reacted with shock to Carlson’ latest reporting and demanded more transparency from Kash Patel’s FBI regarding Crooks.

Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett claimed that Crooks was groomed by the CIA via MKUltra-style mind control programs during an interview reacting to Carlson’s latest report.

‘They programmed this kid. You got a kid who’s got access to guns or has some simple knowledge of a firearm, he was programmed,’ Burchett told conservative influencer Benny Johnson. ‘The facts have been buried or burned or whoever knew is either sitting on a beach somewhere and, uh, enjoying a fruity drink or they’re dead.’

Carlson said his source retrieved a never-before-seen clip from Crooks’ Google Drive account that shows him dry firing a handgun in a bedroom

‘When the CIA says, ‘We don’t have this thing,’ and then their asses are brought into a court of law and they say, ‘Well, we have it, but we don’t use it anymore.’ Apparently, somebody’s using it.’

‘I’ve said that all along,’ Burchett added. ‘I’ve said that. Look at the history. Look at where we’re at in this country, the Deep State. It’s disgusting. Trump’s right. They’re not after, they’re not after him. They’re after us. He’s just standing in the way.’

Kash Patel, meanwhile, issued a statement indirectly responding to Carlson’s reporting by claiming the Bureau collected an extensive amount of data from Crooks.

Patel does not provide any specific details into the data uncovered from the FBI investigation, nor his motive for trying to kill Trump. Furthermore, the FBI director continues to maintain that Crooks had limited online use.

‘The investigation, conducted by over 480 FBI employees, revealed Crooks had limited online and in person interactions, planned and conducted the attack alone, and did not leak or share his intent to engage in the attack with anyone,’ Patel wrote.