FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony before Congress on July 24 raised doubts about the nature of the injury sustained by former President Donald Trump during an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024.
Wray’s statements have added an element of ambiguity to an already intricate investigation.
On the day of the incident, Trump was delivering a speech to supporters in Butler, Pennsylvania when gunfire erupted from a nearby rooftop. The shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired several rounds before being taken down by Secret Service agents. The attack resulted in the death of one rally-goer and left two others injured. Trump sustained an injury to his ear.
During his testimony, Wray disclosed the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s injury. “There’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray said. He confirmed the FBI had accounted for all the bullets fired by Crooks, but was unsure if the object that struck Trump was indeed a bullet.
In response to Wray’s testimony, Trump criticized the FBI Director on his Truth Social platform for casting doubt on his injury. Trump argued, “FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!). Wrong!”
Trump further stated, “There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a ‘bullet wound to the ear,’ and that is what it was,” he wrote.
While addressing the Republican National Convention, Trump recounted the incident, “I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear. I said to myself: ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.’” Trump was seen with a dressing on his ear which he claimed was due to the injury during the attack.
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung, in a statement to various media outlets, refuted any doubts regarding Trump’s injury. “Anyone who believes this conspiracy bs is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons,” Cheung said.
On July 20, Trump made public a note from Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a political ally and former White House doctor, describing the injury. Jackson detailed a “bullet track” that created a wound about 0.8 inches wide, reaching down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear. According to Jackson, the injury did not require stitches but needed bandaging due to periodic bleeding.
Wray reported that the FBI has conducted over 400 interviews related to the assassination attempt and plans to conduct many more.
The incident has further divided opinions about the FBI and its leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Wray’s testimony, stating, “Evidence shows it was a bullet that went through Trump’s ear, and Wray has a credibility problem.”
