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| - After former U.S. President Donald Trump was nearly assassinated at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, a rumor spread online alleging that FBI Assistant Director Janeen DiGuiseppi sat behind him, fueling conspiracy theories that the the attempted assassination was an "inside job" by official law enforcement (archived):
The claim, which accumulated millions of views across platforms, also appeared several times on X, TikTok and Reddit. Some said DiGuiseppi was not only there, but had given the shooter "instructions," and others replied with outrage. "Inside job and they will never prove it wasn't. History repeats itself JFK pt. 2," one said. "The more info I get — the more I believe this was 100% a setup and allowed to happen," said another.
We contacted the press office of the FBI, which told us this claim was "categorically false." The agency later emailed us this written statement:
The allegations circulating on social media about an FBI executive and the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania are categorically false. To be clear, the person depicted is not her and she did not attend the rally. The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly and selflessly to protect others every day, and false rumors and conspiracy theories targeting these dedicated public servants are reprehensible and irresponsible. They are also dangerous and often lead to threats against them and their families. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable anyone who makes violent threats against them or any of our colleagues in law enforcement.
The specific claim appeared in the larger context of an unfounded conspiracy theory that the attempted assassination was "state sponsored," led by Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden, Trump's opponent in the 2024 presidential election. This theory emerged in the days after the event as authorities struggled to identify the shooter's motive.
We have not been able to identify the woman at the rally, her name or her occupation. While both she and DiGuiseppi appeared to be around the same age and had long brown hair, the woman at the rally wore sunglasses and a baseball cap. The visible features of her face were not remotely similar enough to assert that she was DiGuiseppi.
Further, DiGuiseppi — who lived in many places due to her career at the FBI — never worked in Pennsylvania. She had no obvious reason for being at the rally personally or in an official capacity. In fact, the FBI was not involved in the organization of the rally, though they took charge of the investigation that followed the shooting.
DiGuiseppi was assistant director of the Insider Threat Office at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., named to the post in August 2023 by Director Christopher Wray. She was promoted after two years as the special agent in charge of the Albany Field Office in New York, the first woman to do so. She joined the federal agency in 1999.
Internet users spread this rumor online based on a faint resemblance between the two women, apparently seeking to bolster their groundless claim that the as-yet-unexplained attempted assassination was the result of a plot at the highest level of government. For all these reasons, we have given it a "False" rating.
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