A shadowy CIA program with a controversial history of mind-control experiments is drawing attention once again, this time in connection with an alleged attempt on Donald Trump’s life.
U.S. Congressman Tim Burchett has raised concerns that American intelligence agencies, specifically the CIA, might have been involved in orchestrating or facilitating an attack on the then-President in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13 of last year.
The representative from Tennessee has pointed to Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old, as a potential victim of psychological manipulation, claiming that he was influenced online through methods akin to those used in MKUltra, the infamous CIA mind-control program from the Cold War era.
Though MKUltra was officially terminated in the early 1970s, Burchett has alleged that these types of experiments have persisted within intelligence circles, continuing to explore ways to undermine individual autonomy, despite offering no concrete proof to substantiate these claims.
Burchett suggests that Crooks was effectively ‘programmed’ to serve as a scapegoat, sending a chilling message that both Trump and his supporters are in the crosshairs of what he describes as the ‘deep state.’
In a conversation with conservative influencer Benny Johnson, Burchett remarked, “They programmed this kid. You got a kid who’s got access to guns or has some basic knowledge of firearms, he was programmed.”
Burchett added, ‘The facts have been buried or burned. Whoever knew is either on a beach sipping a fruity drink or they’re dead.’ The Daily Mail has contacted Burchett for comment.
The FBI maintains that Crooks acted alone in Butler, with no evidence of co-conspirators or foreign direction.
Thomas Crooks allegedly interacted with a YouTube user who had links to a foreign terrorist organization that encouraged him to commit acts of violence
Police stand over the body of the shooter on a rooftop near the Trump rally last year
MKUltra originally targeted criminals, mental patients, drug addicts, Army soldiers, and ordinary citizens, often without their knowledge, using drugs and psychological torture.
The CIA denied the program existed until the 1970s, when lawsuits forced the agency to confirm its operations had ended by 1973.
Burchett claimed Crooks fit a modern example of MKUltra’s methods, using social media and internet influence to manipulate vulnerable individuals.
The congressman argued that current programs exploit isolated or radicalized youth for rogue missions, though he offered no proof during a November 14 livestream.
He also cited a constituent’s child allegedly manipulated online into self-diagnosing as transgender, claiming the minor had been contacted by an unidentified group.
Recent reports revealed Crooks appeared to use ‘they/them’ pronouns on a site known for adult ‘furry’ content.
Accounts linked to him suggested an interest in anthropomorphic characters with muscular male bodies and female heads, though investigators have not tied transgender ideology to the shooting.
Crooks is not the first criminal connected to CIA mind control programs. Infamous gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger said he was subjected to experiments in 1957 while imprisoned in Atlanta.
Congressman Tim Burchett of Tennessee claimed that the security failures at Donald Trump’s 2024 rally in Butler were planned as part of an intelligence community rogue operation
Congressman Tim Burchett (Pictured) claimed attempted Trump assassin Thomas Crooks was acting under the manipulation of the US intelligence community
Gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, a former organized crime boss, was one of eight convicts allegedly experimented on as part of the CIA’s MKUltra program
Over 1,200 declassified documents confirm the CIA psychologically tortured criminals, mental patients, and drug addicts for weeks or months to manipulate their minds.
Bulger recalled: ‘We experienced living nightmares, even blood coming out of the walls.
‘Guys turned into skeletons in front of me. I saw a camera change into the head of a dog. I felt like I was going insane.’
MKUltra chief Sidney Gottlieb has also been linked to experiments using wildlife as ‘animal assassins’ and drugging unwitting American citizens with psychedelics.
Declassified reports reveal that funding for these projects flowed through multiple government agencies and military contractors to conceal CIA involvement during the Cold War.
Burchett could not provide details on where any alleged ‘dark money’ for such experiments would come from today.
