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President Donald Trump sharply criticized the Biden-era FBI and former FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday following the release of new federal records concerning Thomas Matthew Crooks, the gunman who attempted to assassinate Trump at his July 13, 2024, campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump also alleged, without presenting evidence, that the shooting was part of a Democratic plot to remove him from the presidential race. Investigators have previously said they found no evidence that Crooks had co-conspirators or was acting at the direction of a political organization.

Trump accused the FBI under President Joe Biden and Wray of improperly handling the investigation and claimed that crucial material was no longer available by the time he returned to the White House.

“By the time I got into Office, on January 20th, most of the information was missing, altered, corrupted, or gone,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “New info was just found! Why wasn’t it seen long ago?”

Trump went further, alleging without offering evidence that the assassination attempt was “a Democrat Plot, to get me out of the Election, that failed.” Current FBI Director Kash Patel has said investigators found no evidence Crooks was working with anyone else.

During its initial investigation in 2024, the FBI similarly said it had uncovered no co-conspirators or individuals who had advance knowledge of Crooks’ plans.

Trump’s comments came as newly obtained federal records provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, offered additional details about Crooks and his activities leading up to the Butler attack. Grassley has been conducting an investigation into the assassination attempt.

According to the records, Crooks developed an increasingly intense interest in firearms and long-range shooting during the years before the attack.

His father, Matthew Crooks, told investigators that his son’s interest in guns began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Crooks subsequently spent considerable time practicing and eventually became capable of accurately shooting at distances beyond 100 yards.

Matthew Crooks told investigators that on the morning of July 13, he gave his son the Panther Arms A-15 rifle that would later be used in the assassination attempt because he believed Crooks was headed to a shooting range.

The FBI had previously said Crooks’ father provided him with the rifle that afternoon under the impression that his son planned to go to the Sportsman’s Club.

Investigators determined that Crooks had practiced shooting at the club the day before the rally and had also conducted reconnaissance of the Butler rally grounds before carrying out the attack.

The newly reported records also indicate that Crooks used the name “Bob Dole” when making online purchases of firearms-related products and became increasingly focused on improving his shooting skills.

According to the records, Crooks’ father also described troubling behavior shortly before the attack, including seeing his son pacing and talking to himself while cleaning a firearm.

Crooks ultimately climbed onto a rooftop overlooking the rally and fired eight shots toward Trump. One bullet struck Trump in the ear, rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed, and two other people were wounded. A Secret Service sniper then shot and killed Crooks.

The FBI opened investigations into both an attempted assassination and possible domestic terrorism following the attack.

Trump on Tuesday directed particular criticism at Wray, saying the former FBI director “should pay a price for the way he handled this assassination attempt.”

Wray had originally been nominated by Trump to serve as FBI director during Trump’s first administration. He resigned from the position before Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

President Donald Trump’s administration has approved a massive $2.8 billion weapons sale to Israel that includes 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, according to a U.S. official cited by The New York Times, marking one of the largest transfers of heavy American munitions to Israel in recent years.

The package includes 20,000 MK-84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 bombs, both weighing approximately 2,000 pounds. The Washington Post reported that the package also includes 20,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads, which are designed to penetrate hardened structures.

The $2.8 billion package is expected to be financed through U.S. military assistance provided to Israel rather than paid for directly with Israeli funds, according to the Washington Post. The proposed transfer has already been informally communicated to the congressional committees that review major foreign arms sales.

The enormous size of the package is notable even by the standards of the longstanding U.S.-Israel defense relationship. The Washington Post described it as the largest single sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in recent years.

The MK-84 is a general-purpose bomb that can be used against buildings, fortified positions and other large targets. The BLU-117 is another 2,000-pound general-purpose bomb, while the I-2000 is a penetrator warhead intended for use against hardened targets.

Israel has used 2,000-pound bombs during military operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Their use in densely populated areas has drawn criticism from some arms-control and human-rights experts because of the extensive blast damage such weapons can cause. Israel has repeatedly said that it targets terrorists and military infrastructure, does not deliberately target civilians, and takes measures intended to reduce civilian casualties.

“If Hezbollah or whoever is in a building, an MK-84 will bring down the whole building,” Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive-ordnance-disposal technician, told the Washington Post.

Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer who is now a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, raised concerns about how the weapons could be employed.

“Given the way Israel conducted its air war in Gaza and, to some extent, in southern Lebanon, there are real concerns about how such weapons would be used in densely populated areas,” Finucane said.

“That’s assuming that you have valid military targets to start with because there are concerns about what Israel deems to be valid military targets,” he added.

The new package follows a separate $2.04 billion munitions sale approved by the Trump administration in February 2025. That earlier package included up to 35,529 MK-84 or BLU-117 bomb bodies, or a combination of the two, as well as 4,000 I-2000 Penetrator warheads. At the time, the administration invoked emergency authority to bypass the normal congressional review period.

The Biden administration had temporarily halted a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel in 2024 amid concerns about their possible use in densely populated areas of Gaza. Trump lifted that restriction shortly after returning to the White House in January 2025, allowing the previously withheld weapons to be delivered.

The newly approved package comes amid continuing U.S. military backing for Israel and heightened regional fighting involving Iran and Iranian-backed forces. The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, 2026, prompting Iranian strikes against Israel and Gulf states hosting American military installations.

The arms sale could still face scrutiny on Capitol Hill. Major foreign military sales are ordinarily submitted to Congress, where lawmakers have procedures available under the Arms Export Control Act to seek to block a transaction. Reuters reported that the $2.8 billion package had already been informally presented to the relevant congressional committees.

Asked about the pending transaction before reports emerged that Trump had approved it, a senior White House official told the Washington Post that “all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process. We do not comment on pending sales.”

Vice President JD Vance said the U.S.-Iran conflict is likely to move into a “much different phase in a couple of months,” backing President Donald Trump’s assessment that the war could wind down following the November midterm elections as Washington continues applying military and economic pressure on Tehran.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the New York Post aboard Air Force Two, Vance said Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz has continued to weaken and noted that commercial shipping through the critical waterway has now “returned to well over 50% of normal traffic.”

“We can’t predict the future, but I think the president is right to say that this thing will enter a much different phase in a couple of months,” Vance said. “He’s also the commander in chief, so he’s the person who determines … when conflicts start and when they stop.”

Vance acknowledged frustration among Americans over the length of the conflict but maintained that U.S. forces are no longer carrying out aggressive military operations against Iran.

“I certainly understand there’s some impatience from the American people, but fundamentally what’s happening right now is that the United States is not engaged in aggressive operations. We’re just not,” he added.

“But what is happening is that the Iranians are occasionally shooting at commercial shipping, usually not successfully,” Vance said.

Over the past four months, U.S. Navy SEALs have removed mines from substantial portions of the Strait of Hormuz, although shipping activity has yet to return to prewar levels. U.S. operations have also significantly degraded Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, while Tehran has continued intermittent attacks against commercial vessels and American military positions in the Middle East.

At the same time, Washington has continued its economic campaign against Tehran, targeting Iranian oil tankers and imposing Treasury Department sanctions on banks and other entities accused of helping finance Iran’s war effort.

“There are really two phases to this thing, and the first phase is done,” Vance continued. “The first phase was destroy the nuclear program, destroy their conventional military, destroy their ability to project power in a way that they were able to even a couple of years ago.”

“And then the second phase of this is ensure that they’re not able to rebuild and try to maintain as much global stability in the wake of that,” he also said.

Vance played a central role in the diplomatic effort that produced a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran in June. The agreement established a ceasefire framework, called for reopening the Strait of Hormuz and set the stage for negotiations concerning Iran’s nuclear program and a broader end to the conflict.

Whether the coming months will bring intensified American military operations or further diplomatic progress remains uncertain. Trump has publicly said he expects the conflict to end after the November elections, while administration officials have continued pursuing pressure on Tehran.

Vance’s comments came days after Trump predicted that the war would end immediately following the midterm elections, saying Iran “can’t hold out any longer.” Trump also alleged that Tehran was attempting to prolong the conflict in hopes of affecting the U.S. elections.

“They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we could get a nice, weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

Trump said Monday that Iran was seeking an agreement with Washington and indicated that the United States remained willing to consider negotiations, while emphasizing that the decision on whether to proceed would ultimately be his.

“The failing Nation of Iran wants to make a deal, quickly and badly,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I will determine whether or not the U.S.A. will choose to engage – the concept of which we are open to.”

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Israel has begun sharing intelligence on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis with Saudi Arabia through the United States, establishing an indirect security channel between Yerushalayim and Riyadh as regional powers seek to counter the growing Houthi threat.

The arrangement was reportedly initiated at Saudi Arabia’s request. A regional diplomat told Kan News on Tuesday evening that Riyadh approached Washington seeking assistance, after which American officials brought the request to Israel. Israeli officials agreed to provide intelligence, viewing the Houthis as a threat that extends beyond any single country and poses a broader challenge to the region.

The intelligence-sharing effort comes amid wider discussions about increased regional coordination against the Houthis. Security talks took place on the sidelines of a meeting in Cairo between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, with representatives of U.S. Central Command also taking part. During those discussions, American officials proposed creating a regional command structure and coordinating mechanism to organize efforts to confront and respond to the Yemeni rebels.

A foreign official familiar with the contacts said American representatives who recently visited Israel told participants in the Egypt discussions that Israel possesses a significant quantity of high-quality intelligence concerning Houthi forces, positions and infrastructure that could be provided to Saudi Arabia.

Israel’s intelligence capabilities regarding the Houthis have expanded considerably as a result of the Israeli defense establishment’s operational experience confronting the group. The Houthis opened an active front against Israel following the October 7 attacks, launching missiles and drones toward Israel and becoming a direct target of Israeli military operations.

The intelligence-sharing arrangement is primarily intended to help preserve freedom of navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the strategically vital waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and a critical route for international shipping.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has yet to receive a federal security clearance nearly nine months after taking office, leaving him without direct access to federally classified intelligence involving terrorism and other national-security threats. City Hall, however, says the process remains underway and that the wait is within the normal timeframe for obtaining such clearance.

“The process of obtaining the mayor’s federal security clearance is ongoing and proceeding within the currently prevailing timeline for one,” Sam Raskin, a spokesman for Mamdani, told JNS.

Raskin said that despite the mayor’s lack of federal clearance, he continues to receive intelligence information from local law enforcement that does not carry a federal classification.

“The New York City Police Department regularly briefs the mayor, as appropriate, on non-federally classified investigations and information,” Raskin said.

Receiving the federal clearance would permit Mamdani to be briefed directly on classified information concerning terrorism and other threats to national security.

Questioned about the status of his clearance during a press conference on Monday, Mamdani offered essentially the same explanation that his spokesman subsequently provided to JNS. The mayor said the process was continuing and pointed to senior officials in his administration who already have clearances.

“The mayor has not yet received his federal security clearance, which is not unusual at this point in a mayoral administration,” the mayor’s office told JNS.

City Hall cited the experience of Bill de Blasio, who did not obtain his federal security clearance until October 2015, well after he took office. “Multiple senior officials in City Hall and the NYPD hold federal security clearances,” City Hall told JNS. De Blasio has separately said that such clearance is important because it gives a mayor access to the fullest available information when dealing with potential threats.

“We will continue to move forward,” Mamdani said at the press conference.

JNS asked Raskin whether Mamdani believes President Donald Trump’s administration has treated him unfairly in connection with the clearance process.

The disclosure about the mayor’s pending clearance comes roughly two weeks after Mamdani joined New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and law-enforcement officials in criticizing the Trump administration over $87 million in federal counterterrorism funding that they said was being withheld from New York.

Mamdani and Hochul said the federal money is used for intelligence work, bomb squads and other programs intended to protect against terrorism. At the time, Raskin told JNS that NYPD officers “work around the clock to make sure every New Yorker is safe and will continue to do so regardless of the federal government’s decisions.”

The status of Mamdani’s security clearance has also drawn attention as New York prepares for the arrival of international leaders for the United Nations General Assembly in Turtle Bay. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is among the leaders expected in the city and is scheduled to address the General Assembly on Sept. 24.

During Monday’s press conference, Mamdani was also asked whether he continues to stand by earlier remarks regarding New Yorkers who oppose Netanyahu choosing to protest the Israeli prime minister’s visit.

Some members of the NYPD have reportedly expressed concerns that the mayor’s comments surrounding Netanyahu’s visit could complicate security for officers tasked with policing demonstrations.

During his campaign for mayor, Mamdani said he would seek Netanyahu’s arrest if the Israeli leader visited New York. Mamdani has since acknowledged that New York City does not have the legal authority to carry out such an arrest, while calling on federal authorities to arrest Netanyahu instead.

“I just want to be very clear,” Mamdani said at the press conference, of protesting the Israeli leader. “My prior remarks were that if people choose to do so, then they are able to because that is the law here in New York City.”

“I continue to leave it to New Yorkers to make their own decisions,” he said.

The U.S. military campaign against Iran had cost an estimated $33.4 billion by June 29, while the heavy use of American munitions created “strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed problems in the defense industry’s ability to replenish key weapons, according to the first inspector general report on “Operation Epic Fury.” The report, issued Monday, covers U.S. government activities through June 30.

The assessment was prepared by the inspectors general of the U.S. Department of Defense, State Department and USAID and submitted to Congress, providing a detailed look at the scope and cost of the war as well as its impact on American military readiness.

The report also offered new information about the damage caused by Iranian attacks on American military and diplomatic facilities across the Middle East, including significant destruction that had not previously been publicly detailed.

The Pentagon “estimated the cost of ‘Operation Epic Fury’ to be $33.4 billion as of June 29,” the report stated. “The estimate includes $7.4 billion of cumulative obligations (incremental costs) for ‘Operation Epic Fury,’ $22.3 billion for expended munitions and $3.7 billion in equipment losses, but does not include costs for infrastructure repairs.”

Those additional costs include repairs to U.S. diplomatic compounds across the region that sustained substantial damage during Iranian strikes.

“U.S. diplomatic facilities in four countries suffered physical damage from Iranian strikes, with an estimated total cost of about $184 million,” the report stated. “In addition, State reported an estimated $24.5 million per month in construction project delays due to ordered departures and travel restrictions in Baghdad, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Cairo, Amman, Kuwait City and Muscat.”

More than $157 million of the damage resulted from over 600 attacks against U.S. facilities in Iraq, with the new American consulate in Erbil sustaining particularly significant damage, according to the report.

The inspectors general also provided a breakdown of American aircraft damaged or destroyed since large-scale combat operations against Iran began in February. The list included four F-15 fighter jets, one F-35, 12 KC-135 aerial refueling tankers, six helicopters and “as many as 30” MQ-9 Reaper drones.

During the period between Feb. 28 and June 30, which the Pentagon designated as the “combat operations” phase of “Operation Epic Fury,” 14 American service members were killed and another 417 were wounded. Four additional service members were killed later during “overseas operations” in Iraq and Jordan.

The single largest component of the war’s price tag through late June was the $22.3 billion worth of munitions expended during the fighting. The scale of that weapons use, the report said, “illustrate the magnitude and complexity of the target set posed by Iran.”

“Iran has the largest armed forces in the region and spent decades of intense focus developing and expanding its own domestic defense industry,” the report stated. “Iran has also focused heavily on passive defense measures to protect its military capabilities, including extensive underground facilities, dispersal of munitions inventories, concealment and deception to mask equipment and mobile launch platforms.”

The volume of both offensive and defensive weapons used during the conflict has prompted concerns among Democrats in Congress about the effect on U.S. stockpiles. According to the inspector general report, American and allied forces intercepted more than 7,500 Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks during the period under review, excluding attacks directed at Israel.

U.S. Central Command subsequently told the inspectors general in August that American forces had “conducted approximately 36,000 combat sorties and more than 1,800 fire missions” against Iran.

President Donald Trump has previously rejected concerns that the United States is running short of critical munitions. He has stated that “the United States has massive amounts of ‘munitions,’ especially of certain types,” while accusing anonymous officials who provided contrary information to the media of making “treasonous statements” and saying that they would be “hunted down.”

The new inspector general report, however, cited Pentagon acquisition officials as saying that the intensity of the Iran campaign had produced shortages in certain strategically important weapons inventories.

“The Office of the Under Secretary for Acquisition and Sustainment said that the munitions expenditure in ‘Operation Epic Fury’ has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply,” the report stated.

According to the report, the Pentagon “is working to streamline procurement processes and production lead times, and to stockpile critical materials, components and selected munitions to respond rapidly to a contingency.”

The findings come as a separate Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday estimated that the broader cost of the Iran war had reached approximately $38 billion through Aug. 1, with costs projected to rise by roughly $3 billion for every additional month of fighting.

The CBO analysis also raised concerns about the time required to rebuild depleted American missile-defense inventories, estimating that replenishing some stocks could take at least five years.

“The shortfall would become especially problematic if a conflict arose with an opponent whose arsenal included large numbers of ballistic and cruise missiles,” the office stated. “The People’s Republic of China maintains such an arsenal, which would probably play a major role in a military conflict involving Taiwan.”