FBI Director raises doubts on whether Donald Trump's ear was grazed by bullet during assassination attempt

FBI Director Christopher Wray has expressed doubts over if Donald Trump was shot in the course of an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania political rally.

Published on: Jul 25, 2024, 17:28:20 IST

By Shweta Kukreti

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FBI Director Christopher Wray has expressed doubts over if Donald Trump was shot in the course of an attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania political rally.

FBI Director Christopher Wray appears before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2024. (AFP)

During his testimony to the US House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Wray disclosed that the FBI was still investigating whether it was some shrapnel or bullet that struck Trump's ear during the shooting.

“With respect to former President Trump, there's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear. I don't know right now whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have landed somewhere else,” he responded to legislators' question if the FBI knew where all eight bullets fired by 20-year-old shooter Thomas Crooks at the rally.

“My understanding is that either it [a bullet] or some shrapnel is what grazed his ear,” he added.

FBI reveals shooter searched ‘How far away was Oswald from Kennedy’

Initial accounts on the day of the shooting suggested that Trump might have been hurt by a shard of glass when a bullet struck the teleprompter. However, this notion was refuted when images showed that both glass screens remained intact after the attack.

Wray further revealed that the gunman had searched for assassination of President John F. Kennedy prior to the attack.

A week prior to the shooting, Wray claimed that the gunman searched online, “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?”

Also Read: THIS Royal name surfaces in top-secret FBI memos on Profumo affair

On November 22, 1963, shooter Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy from a sniper's position in Dallas. While the suspect had demonstrated a strong interest in well-known figures, Wray claimed no overt signs of an ideological motivation had been found.

According to the investigators, they have compiled a thorough itinerary of Crooks' travels and internet activities, but they are still unsure of his exact motivation or why he targeted Trump.

The FBI still believes that Crooks, who was shot and killed by a countersniper from the Secret Service, acted alone.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shweta Kukreti
Shweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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