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Donald Trump Jr. blamed the FBI for the deadly mass shootings that have shaken Maine, saying the bureau could have stopped the shooter if it was less focused on investigating "MAGA patriots."
"The Maine shooter was (as always) known to law enforcement, previously committed to a mental institution and prohibited from owning firearms," he posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday morning.
"If only the FBI would stop spying on Catholics, concerned parents at PTA meetings, and Maga patriots maybe they'd actually stop real terrorists for a change rather than trying to create them," the former president's eldest son said.
FBI declined Newsweek's request for comment.
The manhunt for the suspect in the Wednesday night shooting rampage that killed 18 people and injured another 13 at a bar and a bowling alley is still underway. Hundreds of officers from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are looking for a 40-year-old man identified by authorities as Robert Card.
Trump Jr.'s remark that Card was known to authorities appears to come from a police bulletin document that was sent to police across the country after the shootings. It informed law enforcement officials that Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks during the past summer. There were no details on Card's condition, but the bulletin said he had been "hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME."
The Army's public affairs office has confirmed that a man by the name of Robert Russell Card II, whose birth date matches that of the suspect, has been an Army reservist since December 2022. Ranked as a sergeant first class, he is trained as a petroleum supply specialist and has not had any combat deployments.
Trump Jr.'s comments criticizing the FBI echo previous statements made by him and other right-wing figures who have accused the federal government of abusing its power to target Catholics, parents who attend school board meetings and rioters in the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
In April, the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed FBI Director Christopher Wray as part of its investigation into an FBI field analysis that proposed developing sources to look for signs of radicalization within a group of Catholic chapels in Richmond, Virginia. The committee accused the bureau of launching "domestic violent extremism investigations against Catholic Americans."
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has said that he received information from a whistleblower who said the FBI was compiling threat assessments related to parents after the National School Boards Association requested assistance from the Biden administration to address a spike in harassment, intimidation and threats of violence towards board members.
The shootings in Lewiston, Maine, took place at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles away. A car connected to Card was found at a boat landing in Lisbon, which is 9 miles from Lewiston.
In response to the attacks, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also sent about 40 agents to assist local authorities in Maine, one of the biggest deployments by the federal agency in recent years.
Law enforcement authorities have not indicated a potential motive in the shootings, but they have said they are looking into Card's mental health.
Department of Defense officials said that Card was "behaving erratically" when he was deployed to Camp Smith training center in upstate New York this summer and that "out of concern for his safety, the unit requested that law enforcement be contacted."
Card was transported by a New York State Police officer to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for medical evaluation, then released.
"Mr. Card is considered armed and dangerous, and police advise that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances," Maine Governor Janet Mills said during a Wednesday news briefing.
Update 10/26/23 5:48 pm. ET This story was updated with comment from the FBI.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more