FBI director stirs controversy with Trump bullet skepticism

FBI Director Christopher Wray kicked a hornet’s nest with remarks this week casting doubt on former President Trump’s claims that he was hit by a bullet in his July 13 assassination attempt. 

Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee, Wray said that “with respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, that hit his ear.” 

In another exchange, Wray told Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) either a bullet or a piece of shrapnel “is what grazed [Trump's] ear.”

Wray’s remarks drew the ire of Trump, who soon after the shooting said he had been hit by a bullet at the Butler, Pa., rally, and has since framed his survival as an act of divine intervention.

The former president, in a lengthy post on Truth Social late Thursday, insisted he was indeed hit by a bullet and slammed the FBI as having “lost the confidence” of the United States. 

“No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard. There was no glass, there was no shrapnel,” Trump posted. “The hospital called it a ‘bullet wound to the ear,’ and that is what it was. No wonder the once storied FBI has lost the confidence of America!”

Trump, who nominated Wray as FBI director in 2017, also claimed the agency “never even checked!” as to what caused his injury.

However, Trump has not released medical records, and Wray’s comments have increased calls for him to prove what caused his injury. 

"Donald Trump is clearly using this as part of his campaign. And if he's lying about whether he was actually shot, that's something that the American people should know,” said Rep Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), according to CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane. 

“I've waited a while to say this but the burden is now on Trump to show he was shot,” Juliette Kayyem, a former undersecretary for Homeland Security, wrote on the social platform X. 

“I can condemn the assassination and still demand truth, especially since Trump is now politicizing taking a bullet,” she added. “Wray has now opened the door; this is not a conspiracy theory. Wray, known for exact phrasing and being careful, didn't say this on accident. He is begging us to ask.”

The FBI is leading the criminal investigation into the shooting, which killed one rallygoer and seriously injured two others before the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.

Video of the shooting showed Trump reach for his ear after gunfire could be heard. He quickly ducks to the ground and is swarmed by Secret Service agents. Upon getting to his feet, Trump’s ear has visibly begun to bleed, with blood streaking across his face as he is led off the stage.

Trump said later that night he was “shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear,” adding that he heard "a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” according to a post on his Truth Social platform.

A New York Times video analysis published Friday seems to support Trump’s assertions that it was likely a bullet, not debris, that struck his ear.

And speaker Mike Johnson told NBC News on Thursday he’s “seen the analysis, we’ve heard it from multiple sources in different angles that a bullet went through [Trump’s] ear.”

Johnson also accused Wray of having a “credibility problem.”

“His responses were apparently inaccurate and he was not forthcoming with some of the information that we would expect,” he said. “There's a lot of frustration and concern about the leadership with these agencies.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and fierce defender of Trump, on Friday sent a letter to Wray pushing him to correct his testimony “immediately.”

“I urge you to immediately correct your statement and acknowledge that President Trump was hit by a bullet rather than glass or shrapnel,” Graham wrote. “As head of the FBI, you should not be creating confusion about such matters, as it further undercuts the agency's credibility with millions of Americans.”

And Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), Trump’s former physician, said there is “absolutely no evidence” Trump was struck by anything other than a bullet.

“Congress should correct the record as confirmed by both the hospital and myself. Director Wray is wrong and inappropriate to suggest anything else,” Jackson wrote in a letter he posted to Truth Social on Friday. 

Jackson previously released a note that said a bullet was "less than a quarter of an inch from entering [Trump’s] head, and struck the top of his right ear.”

But no official medical evaluation from a doctor or hospital who treated Trump in the immediate aftermath of the attack has been publicly released, with most updates trickling out through family members describing the injury in broad terms. 

State and federal government agencies also have not released an official account about what caused the injury.

FBI investigators have reportedly asked to interview Trump as they determine what exactly hit his ear, and are examining metal fragments found near the stage at the rally location.

In a statement, the bureau asserted it had been “consistent and clear” since the day of the incident that it was an assassination attempt that resulted in Trump’s injury and the death of one rally attendee, and that the investigation is still open.

“This was a heinous attack and the FBI is devoting enormous resources to learn everything possible about the shooter and what led to his act of violence,” the bureau said. “The FBI’s Shooting Reconstruction Team continues to examine evidence from the scene, including bullet fragments, and the investigation remains ongoing.”

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.