Uncovering Butler: What the FBI Missed and Why It Matters

How did a 20-year-old with a rifle get a clear line of sight to a former president from just 150 yards away?

In this episode of The Sunday Draft, we sit down with investigative journalist Ken Silva, editor of Headline USA and author of the explosive new book detailing the security collapses of July 13, 2024. Ken brings old-school, community-newspaper rigor to a national story that the mainstream media walked away from far too quickly.

From winning legal battles to secure Thomas Crooks’ autopsy and toxicology reports, to digging through over 10,000 pages of hidden congressional transcripts, Ken pieces together a granular, second-by-second timeline that shatters the official narrative.

What We Unpack In This Episode:

• The Lookalike Mystery: Why local law enforcement spotted a suspicious figure matching Crooks’ exact description on one side of the venue while video evidence proves the real shooter was simultaneously on the completely opposite side.
• The 15-Second Delay: A forensic breakdown of the gunfire sequence. Discover why it took Secret Service snipers 15 total seconds to return fire—and 10 full seconds after the shooting had entirely stopped—despite internal notes showing they spotted Crooks crawling into place beforehand.
• The Real Hero Unsung: The story of local detective Tyler Collins, who rushed to the scene on a whim, looked the shooter in the eye, and completely threw off Crooks’ adrenaline and aim just 25 seconds before the first shots rang out.
• Destroyed Evidence: The shocking revelation that Crooks’ body was quietly released for cremation with bullet fragments still inside, potentially erasing physical proof that a local SWAT operator—not the feds—nullified the threat first.
• The Online Double Life: Uncovering a dark trove of 2020 YouTube comments mapping Crooks’ political flip from pro-Trump to anti-Trump, and his eerie covert-tactic debates with a tracked Nordic neo-Nazi.

Connect With The Guest:

• Read Ken’s investigative work at Headline USA.
• Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @JD_Cashless.
• Grab his comprehensive book, The Trump Assassination Plots: What the Investigations Missed and Why it Matters, available right now on Amazon.

🔔 New episodes every Sunday — hit SUBSCRIBE and turn on the NOTIFICATION BELL to never miss one.

🌏 Websitethesundaydraft.com

🦋 Blueskybsky.app/profile/thesundaydraft.bsky.social

🐦 X (Twitter)x.com/TheSundayDraft

🍎 Apple PodcastsListen on Apple Podcasts