(The Center Square) – Twelve days after a shooter opened fire at a campaign rally for former President Donald Trump, basic questions remain unanswered despite congressional hearings and political pressure from both sides of the aisle.
One key example: Was Trump shot? Video from the July 13 rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, clearly shows something struck Trump’s ear minutes after he took to the stage.
However, it remains unclear what hit the former president.
On Wednesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress he didn’t know.
“With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray said.
“I don’t know right now whether that bullet, in addition to causing the grazing, could have landed somewhere else,” Wray said.
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris said 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Trump eight times.
“I believe that the number is eight,” Paris told the committee. “Eight casings have been recovered.”
The hearings highlighted a cascade of security failures at the event.
On Saturday, hours after the shooting, Trump said on social media that a bullet pierced his upper ear.
Speaking at the Republican National Convention just days after the assassination attempt, Trump said the bullet “came within a quarter of an inch of taking my life.”
Whether Trump was struck by a bullet or not, the shooting has already shaken Washington D.C. and the 2024 race for the presidency.
U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned Tuesday after she was widely criticized over security failures at the campaign event.
The shooting was followed by Biden’s decision to drop out of the presidential race and endorse Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris has gone on to secure the delegates needed to win the party’s nomination and set a fundraising record during her short time on the campaign trail.
