Former President Donald Trump criticized Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director Christopher Wray on Thursday after Wray told Congress that he was not sure if would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks shot Trump in the ear with a bullet or whether Trump’s ear was hit by shrapnel.
During a congressional hearing on Wednesday, the FBI director questioned the nature of Trump’s injury after the former president was shot during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Wray testified, “I think with respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, hit his ear.”
In response to Wray’s testimony, Trump released a statement on Truth Social, saying, “FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!), but he was sure that Crooked Joe Biden was physically and cognitively ‘uneventful’ – Wrong!”
Criticizing the FBI director’s performance as the leader of the agency, Trump said Wray “knows nothing” about the criminals and terrorists entering the United States “at record levels.” Trump suggested that Wray’s only focus was raiding his residency at Mar-A-Lago, prosecuting individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol Hill protest, and “saving Radical Left Lunatics.”
“No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard,” Trump added. “There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. 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!”
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Wray’s testimony also received backlash from top Republican lawmakers. During Wednesday’s hearing, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said, “We’ve all seen the video, we’ve seen the analysis, we’ve heard it from multiple sources in different angles that a bullet went through his ear. I’m not sure it matters that much.”
According to Fox News, Johnson noted that the FBI director “was not forthcoming with some of the information that we would expect” and highlighted the “frustration and concern” regarding government agencies, such as the Secret Service and the FBI.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a former White House physician, later tweeted, “ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE for Chris Wray to make such a statement as Director of the FBI.” Jackson argued that Wray’s testimony was another “politically motivated” effort by the same FBI director who has “weaponized his office to tear down President Trump.”
“What little credibility he may have left is GONE after recklessly suggesting Trump might not have been hit from a bullet,” Jackson added. “IT WAS A BULLET — I’VE SEEN THE WOUND!”
