WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI said former President Donald Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet during an assassination attempt on July 13, as the agency moved Friday to clarify what happened after nearly two weeks of confusion and conflicting accounts.https://t.co/yOQVon8FnM
— Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) July 26, 2024
The FBI confirmed Friday that a bullet struck former President Donald Trump’s ear during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. “What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” the agency stated. This definitive law enforcement account aims to clear up conflicting descriptions regarding the cause of Trump’s injuries, which had fuelled conspiracy theories and speculation amidst a lack of detailed information following the attack.
The July 13 shooting occurred at a campaign rally, where a gunman opened fire.
Nancy Mace on Fox Business describes FBI Director Wray as "an attempted assassination denier" because he testified that Trump may not have taken a bullet pic.twitter.com/GHyeCj4XuV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 26, 2024
Confusion initially surrounded the incident, with Trump’s allies and the public expressing frustration over the silence from federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Secret Service, which had initially refused to disclose specifics about the former president’s injuries. Trump’s campaign did not release his medical records or permit the hospital doctors who treated him to answer questions, further complicating the situation.
Instead, updates came from Trump himself and his former White House doctor, who now represents Texas in Congress. Despite treating Trump since the attack, the doctor faced scrutiny and is not Trump’s primary care physician.
Trump has been fuming all day about FBI Director Chris Wray’s testimony that he may not have been hit with a bullet,m. He had Ronny Jackson issue a statement earlier, now Lindsey Graham is demanding Wray retract it. Story. https://t.co/AMV09NtuuP
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 26, 2024
The FBI’s reluctance to promptly verify Trump’s account of events has heightened tensions between Trump and the federal law enforcement agency.
🚨 BREAKING: FBI Admits Donald Trump was Shot by a Bullet:
“What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle.”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 26, 2024
FBI confirms bullet in Trump’s ear
Trump and his supporters have long accused federal law enforcement of bias against him, a charge that FBI Director Christopher Wray has consistently denied. Later that Friday, in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump criticized the FBI’s initial hesitation.
“Did you see the FBI today apologize? It just never ends with these people.
We accept their apology,” he remarked. For the first time since the incident, Trump appeared in public without a bandage on his right ear, showing no signs of continued bleeding or severe injury. Questions about the extent and nature of Trump’s wound emerged immediately after the attack, despite Trump’s detailed description of being shot in a Truth Social post.
Photographs and video from the scene further confirmed the presence of a projectile imminently close to his head, supporting Trump’s claim. In a speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Trump recounted the attack, describing a “loud whizzing sound” and feeling “something hit me really, really hard, on my right ear.”
“If I had not moved my head at that very last instant,” Trump said, “the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark, and I would not be here tonight.”
The investigation continues as the FBI endeavors to “leave no stone unturned” in its examination of the attempted assassination.
