“Call Me a Lunatic”: GOP Rep Pushes MK Ultra Trump Shooter Theory
Burchett leans on Tucker Carlson to push a baseless MK Ultra claim.
Rep. Tim Burchett used a recent appearance on Benny Johnson’s show to claim that the man who tried to kill Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, had been “programmed.” He said shooter Thomas Crooks was controlled by an intelligence operation and told Johnson people could “call me a lunatic” for saying it. Burchett also pointed to Tucker Carlson as the person who first pushed him toward the idea.
At one point, Johnson even asked him directly whether he believed Crooks had been shaped by an MK Ultra style program. “You’re alleging that Thomas Crooks was groomed by some type of dark intel program, MK Ultra or otherwise,” Johnson said. Burchett replied, “I think so. I’ve said that all along.”
Carlson has been running his own version of the theory, saying federal agencies are hiding details about Crooks and holding back information about the investigation. He has suggested the FBI and Justice Department are not being straight about the shooter’s motives or background, a line that several of his guests have echoed. That is the pool of speculation Burchett is drawing from when he repeats the claim.
The facts do not back any of it up. The FBI’s review of the shooting found that Crooks acted alone, planned the attack himself, and left no evidence he communicated with anyone else. Investigators reported no outside influence, no co-conspirators, and nothing that points to any kind of programming. The material released so far shows Crooks scouting the site on his own and carrying out the attack on his own initiative.
Burchett’s choice of sources and platforms only undercuts the theory further. Benny Johnson’s show is a common stop for fringe claims, and Carlson has moved deeper into conspiratorial territory for years. A sitting member of Congress repeating their language is another example of how conspiracy thinking keeps moving into the Republican mainstream.
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