The sheriff from Butler County, Ohio, publicly criticized an online post claiming one of its deputies emailed the 20-year-old who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
David Harris Jr., a popular conservative commentator, posted on X and Facebook that Deputy Kinlee Hoyle “had two email exchanges with Thomas Matthew Crooks prior to the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt.”
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones called the news “completely false” in posts on Facebook and X on June 6.
“Irresponsible reporting like this is unacceptable and places officers at risk,” Jones said. “We should expect and demand better from our news media.”
Harris said the Ohio deputy’s correspondence with Crooks was documented in FBI records obtained by conservative activist group Judicial Watch. While the group announced on June 5 it obtained FBI records regarding a deputy’s correspondence with Crooks, the records are heavily redacted and Hoyle’s name does not appear in them.
The assassination attempt occurred in Butler County, Pennsylvania, about 300 miles away from Butler County, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. Butler County Sheriff’s Office officials were interviewed in the FBI report, although the state of the office is not mentioned.
“Why would a deputy from Butler County Ohio be relevant?” asked a Facebook user on Harris’s post.
Harris did not immediately respond to questions sent over Facebook and Instagram regarding his post.
Hoyle graduated from police academy in 2025, according to a news release. She worked in the Butler County Jail before joining its road patrol division.
During her graduation, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones praised Hoyle’s compassion and work ethic, saying she “represents the very best of what Butler Tech develops in their graduates.”
Harris has millions of followers across Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok. In 2023, fact checking organization PolitiFact said a post he made about the Department of Justice’s policies toward child sex crimes was false.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Sheriff slams post alleging deputy’s link to Trump’s would-be assassin
Reporting by Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
