FBI was behind Trump assassination attempt: Republican congressman

Republican Colorado Rep. Scott Bottoms told parishioners at his church Sunday that the FBI was responsible for the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, 9News reports.

“I believe it's the FBI,” Bottoms, who had no evidence to back up his claim, said from the church pulpit, according to 9News. “I’m not talking about the Democratic Party. I’m talking about the people that are controlling our country. The people that have been controlling the FBI, controlling the State Department.”

Bottoms is the pastor at the Church of Briargate in Colorado Springs and is notorious for espousing Q-Anon conspiracy theories and extremist far-right rhetoric. He was elected to represent Colorado Springs in 2022.

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Bottoms said Sunday the reason Trump survived the attack is because God protected the former president, 9News reports, and that there will not be an election in November unless Trump is dead. His claims were without any evidence.

“This is just the beginning,” Bottoms said. “They need that man dead.”

Bottoms previously sparked controversy by claiming the FBI facilitated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and by calling his fellow lawmakers “pedophiles,” according to Colorado Politics.