'What a joke': FBI Director Christopher Wray ripped for suggesting Trump may not have been hit by bullet

WASHINGTON, DC: FBI Director Christopher Wray recently addressed the House Judiciary Committee, providing updates on the investigation into the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump.

During his testimony on July 24, Wray indicated that there remains "some question" about whether Trump was struck by a bullet or shrapnel in the attack.

"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 Chairman Jim Jordan, after the latter asked him if the FBI had accounted for all of gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks' bullets at the scene.

"It's conceivable, although as I sit here right now, I don't know whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have also landed somewhere else," Wray added. "But I believe we've accounted for all the shots in the cartridges."

Details of shooting incident and Donald Trump's account

The attempt on Trump's life occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. As Trump was speaking, gunshots rang out, causing him to flinch and instinctively raise his hand to his right ear. Secret Service agents quickly tackled him to the ground. Blood was visible on his ear and face as he was escorted away from the scene.

Later that evening, Trump provided his first update on the incident through Truth Social, stating, "I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening."

In a subsequent post on July 14, Trump expressed gratitude for the support he received, saying, "Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. Our love goes out to the other victims and their families," referencing Corey Comperatore, a firefighter who was killed, and two other injured rally attendees.

On July 15, Trump appeared at the Republican National Convention with a noticeable white bandage on his right ear, which he continued to wear throughout the event. He later spoke about the incident in detail while formally accepting his party's nomination on July 18.

"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.' I moved my right hand to my ear, brought it down, and my hand was covered with blood. Just absolutely blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious, that we were under attack, and in one movement proceeded to drop to the ground," Trump recalled.

By July 20, at another rally in Michigan, Trump was no longer wearing the bandage and remarked, "Last week, I took a bullet for democracy."

Axios reported that same day that Trump's former White House physician and Republican Representative Ronny Jackson had shared a memo regarding Trump's injury. The memo, released by the Trump campaign, described a "2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear."

In his testimony, Wray confirmed that Crooks had flown a drone over the rally grounds two hours before the event and had conducted online searches about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy days before the shooting.

"There's a whole lot of work underway and still a lot of work to do," Wray said, noting the ongoing nature of the investigation, People reported.

Christopher Wray slammed on social media

However, Wray's remarks about the uncertainty of whether Trump was hit by a bullet or shrapnel sparked quite a backlash on social media.

"Idiot Wray makes the explosive suggestion that Trump may have been hit by shrapnel as opposed to a bullet. Shrapnel from what? His teleprompter was completely intact. What an irresponsible thing to say," one posted on X.

"Attempting to minimize an assassination attempt... what disgusting people are in DC," a second user fumed.

"Shrapnel from what? There were bullets flying towards him from the AR-15 fire. Where does the shrapnel come from?" another wondered.

"This is terrible that you would even attempt to dismiss an attempted assassination as a piece of glass hitting this man’s ear," someone else fumed.

"Sounds like Wray wants to keep his job until January 20, 2025. What a joke!" read a comment.

"Wray needs to resign immediately," another insisted.

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