The FBI confirmed Friday that a bullet struck Donald Trump’s ear during the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. — two days after the top official at the bureau said there was “some question” about what hit the former president.
“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,” read a statement released by the FBI.
The bureau’s acknowledgment that Trump, 78, was indeed hit by one of the rounds fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks comes after the ex-commander in chief fumed over FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
“With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray told lawmakers.
Trump, in a Truth Social post, claimed that Wray was “wrong,” and said the FBI “never even checked” to see what hit his ear, arguing that the FBI director’s suggestion that it could’ve been something other than a bullet is why “the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America.”
The Republican nominee for president asserted hours after the assassination attempt that he “felt the bullet ripping through the skin” after the shots rang out at the rally.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who was Trump’s former White House physician and attended to the ex-president after the shooting, noted Friday that there is “absolutely no evidence” that what struck Trump’s ear was “anything other than a bullet.”
In response to the FBI’s statement, Trump said that he “fully accepted” Wray’s “apology.”
Everything we know about the Trump assassination attempt
- 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as the shooter who attempted to assassinate Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
- Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
- The gunman grazed Trump’s ear, killed a 50-year-old retired fire chief, and injured two other rally-goers.
- Investigators detailed Crooks’ search history to lawmakers, revealing that he looked for the dates of Trump’s appearances and the Democratic National Convention.
- Crooks’ search history also revealed a broad interest in high-profile people and celebrities, regardless of their political affiliation, FBI officials reportedly said.
- Trump exclusively recounted surviving the “surreal” assassination attempt with The Post at the rally, remarking, “I’m supposed to be dead.”
- High-profile politicians, including President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, addressed the nation about the shooting, calling it “a heinous, horrible and cowardly act.”
“I assume that’s the best apology that we’ll get from Director Wray, but it is fully accepted!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Wray, 57, was hired by Trump for the top FBI spot back in 2017.
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