Trump hit by bullet in assassination attempt, says FBI after controversy

US

A bullet hit Donald Trump’s ear in an assassination attempt, the FBI has confirmed, after its own director cast doubt on what caused the injury – fuelling anger and conspiracy theories.

The statement follows ambiguous comments earlier in the week by Christopher Wray, which fuelled fresh tensions between the Republican presidential candidate and the law enforcement agency following the 13 July attack.

The former president narrowly escaped with his life in the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which left one person dead and two others severely injured.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player


3:19

Trump shooting: What went wrong?

The 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks was killed by a Secret Service sniper.

Many of Mr Trump’s supporters believe his survival was the result of divine intervention, while the tycoon has also said he had “God on his side” and “took a bullet for democracy”.

Image:
The moment Donald Trump noticed he was hit. Pic: Reuters

Image:
Secret Service agents rushed to shield the ex-president. Pic: AP

Image:
Snipers returned fire. Pic: AP

Mr Wray’s testimony to Congress this week – that investigators were not certain whether Mr Trump’s injury was caused by a bullet or shrapnelprompted an angry response from his campaign team.

Mr Trump also lashed out at Mr Wray in a post on his Truth Social network, saying it was “no wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America”.

Former White House doctor Ronny Jackson, a staunch ally of Mr Trump who has been treating him since the attack, said the suggestion his injury was caused by anything other than a bullet was reckless.

He said: “It was a bullet wound.

“You can’t make statements like that. It leads to all these conspiracy theories.”

Image:
Donald Trump raised a defiant first before being escorted away after he was wounded. Pic: AP

In a subsequent letter released on Friday, Dr Jackson wrote: “There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet.

“Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else.”

Read more on Sky News:
Vance defends ‘childless cat ladies’ remark
Trump attacks Harris’s ‘disrespectful’ Gaza remarks

A few hours after his statement, the FBI said: “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.”

Kimberly Cheatle recently resigned as the director of the US Secret Service – which is responsible for protecting presidents and former presidents – over the assassination attempt, acknowledging it was the “most significant operational failure” in decades.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player


0:41

Trump shooting was ‘most significant failure’

Follow Sky News on WhatsApp

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

Tap here

Meanwhile, Mr Trump has said he plans to return to Butler to hold another rally in honour of Corey Comperatore, the 50-year-old volunteer firefighter killed in the attack, and other supporters injured.

While not giving a date for the event, he told supporters: “Stay tuned.”

Articles You May Like

Lawyer accused of being Chinese spy loses case against MI5
Syria’s new leader takes on an utterly broken nation: ‘It’s all ruins – where do we even start?’
Colorado lands top transfer DT Oatis from Bama
BMW to build $10 million center to pioneer new EV battery recycling method
Toyota lands $4.5M to boost EV battery sustainability