Nearly two weeks after a gunman attempted to assassinate Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, new reports are presenting more questions than answers about the shooting that day.
Did a Bullet Really Pierce Trump’s Ear?
FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Wednesday that his agency is still unsure whether Trump was hit or grazed by a bullet, or by flying shrapnel.
And according to Michael Harrigan, an FBI special agent who retired in 2018 with 22 years at the agency under his belt, we’ll probably never know.
“A bullet shot between the torso, you might be able to extract the bullet,” Harrigan told the Daily Beast. “Unfortunately, with a shot to an extremity like that, an ear, it’s hard to tell and they may never know the difference.”
Trump’s former White House physician, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), released a statement on Saturday saying that Trump’s right ear had sustained a gunshot wound that was a “quarter of an inch from entering his head.”
Jackson’s review is the most thorough account of the president’s health to date, but is ultimately questionable given his lack of an active medical license. The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment about what specific treatment the former president received at a Pennsylvania hospital following the shooting.
A spokesperson for Butler Memorial Hospital, where Trump was taken, would not comment on the former president’s treatment, citing standard patient confidentiality practices.
Can the FBI Use Forensics to Find the Bullets Now?
Wray testified that it was “conceivable” that a bullet could have wounded Trump’s ear and “could have also landed somewhere else.”
The FBI’s standard procedure uses a metal detector to hunt for bullets at a crime scene, but it’s not uncommon for investigators to be unable to recover everything.
“[The bullet] can bury itself into the ground, even beyond the bleachers,” Harrigan explained. “There’s a chance we can never find them.”
What About the Photos of the Bullet Whizzing Past Trump’s Face?
The famous New York Times photo of what appears to be a bullet careening towards Trump’s face has punctuated the drama of the historic moment while providing very little additional context. An investigation by The New York Times found that the photo likely captured a bullet flying past Trump’s face, but the bullet itself was probably flying too low to be the one to have allegedly struck Trump.
So, What’s Next in the FBI’s Investigation?
Although the FBI has specialized technology to track the trajectory of bullets, it could be well after Election Day until the agency is able to answer some of the biggest questions looming over the assassination attempt on the former president, Harrigan said.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned from the agency Tuesday after being grilled by lawmakers at her own committee hearing, and admitted full responsibility for the security failure.
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