CNN
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The FBI said Friday that Donald Trump was hit by a bullet or shrapnel fired by an attempted assassin at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
“The bullet that struck former President Trump in the ear was either a whole bullet or a fragmented bullet fired from a deceased individual’s rifle,” the FBI said in a statement.
Federal police confirmed Friday that former President Trump was shot in the ear, the latest attempt by police to defuse the political furor. The new statement is the most direct yet from federal law enforcement about Trump’s injury, though it changes little in substance.
Some law enforcement officials, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, have previously said publicly that it’s unclear whether Trump was hit by a bullet or by shrapnel. Other officials have questioned whether Trump was hit by a bullet, glass or even injured in a fall.
“As I said, with respect to former President Trump, I think there is a question as to whether it was a bullet or shrapnel that struck his ear,” Wray testified before Congress earlier this week.
Questions about Trump’s wounds have sparked a political backlash, with the former president saying he “took a bullet for democracy” and attacking Wray on social media over his testimony.
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly insisted he was hit by a bullet that did not injure him, writing on his platform, Truth Social, “Unfortunately, the bullet struck my ear and hit me hard.”
“There was no glass or shrapnel. The hospital diagnosed it as a ‘gunshot wound to the ear’ and that was it. No wonder America’s trust in the once renowned FBI!” Trump wrote.
The Trump campaign has denied any suggestion otherwise, with Trump adviser Steven Chang telling CNN that “anyone who believes this conspiracy nonsense is either mentally deficient or is deliberately spreading lies for political reasons.”
US officials said they aim to interview Trump to obtain victim statements as part of their investigation into the assassination attempt, standard procedure in any investigation because Trump is a crime victim.
The FBI said Thursday that investigators were continuing to examine bullet fragments and other evidence related to the attack, but made clear that the bureau has always considered the shooting to be an assassination attempt on the former president.
“The FBI has consistently maintained from the day of the attack that the shooting was an attempted assassination of former President Trump, resulting in his injury, the death of his heroic father, and the injury of several other victims,” the FBI said in its initial statement responding to questions about Wray’s testimony before Congress on Wednesday.
The agency said it was “dedicating significant resources” to the ongoing investigation into the “heinous attack.”
During a wide-ranging House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday, Wray provided lawmakers with new details about the would-be assassin of Trump, including that the would-be assassin had researched the shooting of John F. Kennedy on a laptop and flown a drone near the rally just two hours before the former president spoke. The 20-year-old was shot and killed by a Secret Service agent at the scene after the shooting.
Wray was later criticized by Republicans for the FBI still not reaching a conclusion about the nature of the projectile, but was praised by lawmakers from both parties for providing new insights into the details of the shooter’s investigation.These bipartisan expressions of gratitude stood in stark contrast to earlier testimony by then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who resigned Tuesday after being accused of obstruction by Democrats and Republicans alike and calling for her removal.
Asked Wednesday whether an “assassin’s bullet” came close to killing Trump, Wray said, “My understanding is that it was a bullet or some kind of shrapnel that grazed his ear,” and agreed that a bullet had come close to killing Trump.
This headline and article have been updated with additional information.
CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
