The FBI affirmed Tuesday before Congress that former President Donald Trump was struck by a bullet in the July 13 assassination attempt in Pennsylvania – after initially casting doubt on the object that hit him in a hearing last week.
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate made the admission as he offered condolences to the victims of the shooting in Butler, Pa. – which also included the fatally shot firefighter Corey Comperatore and injured rally goers James Copenhaver and David Dutch.
“And to former president Trump, who was also struck by a bullet fired from the shooter’s rifle,” Abbate said, noting the agency is treating the assassination attempt as domestic terrorism.
The remarks opened Abbate’s testimony in the first Congressional hearing since FBI Director Christopher Wray questioned whether it was a bullet or shrapnel that hit Trump.
Wray had sat before Congress on Thursday and said: “With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear.”
The FBI issued a statement following Wray’s testimony on Friday confirming that it was a bullet.
“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,” the agency said.
The Trump team had blasted Wray for his initial statement.
“Anyone who believes this conspiracy bulls–t is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told The Post.
“We have seen there is no depth low enough for the Biden-Harris Administration. So it’s not surprising they are doing this now,” he added.
Trump was shot in the ear by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks on July 13 at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. Crooks was stationed on a nearby rooftop and fired into the rally, narrowly missing the former president’s skull.
The Secret Service fatally shot Crooks within seconds of him hitting Trump.
The FBI is investigating the shooting and has not found any co-conspirators. Abbate said the agency found that Crooks had registered for the rally on July 6 and had done an online search about how far Lee Harvey Oswald was from President John F. Kennedy when he shot him.