After the July 13 assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, some on the left were quick to dismiss the incident, with people suggesting it was completely staged, while others in the media, including MSNBC’s Joy Reid and commentator Michael Steele, the former RNC chair, floated a debunked conspiracy theory that it was not a bullet that hit the Republican presidential nominee’s ear, but a shard of glass. Left-leaning fact checkers have debunked the claim, with Snopes noting that no teleprompter was broken by the shooting for it to have been a shard of glass. A New York Times journalist also captured the bullet flying towards Trump’s head in a photograph. While we may not be surprised by some of those giving life to this conspiracy theory, what was shocking to see was that FBI Director Christopher Wray was among them.
During congressional testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, the director twice suggested it may not have been a bullet that grazed Trump’s ear.
In today's hearing, Dir Wray made sure to suggest that shrapnel may have caused President Trump's injury. TWICE. Disgraceful.
— K Fitton (@KelFitton) July 25, 2024
"either [the bullet] or some shrapnel is what grazed his ears"
"There's some question about whether or not it's a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear" pic.twitter.com/T1KuYircaS
Trump blasted his appointee for the suggestion in a post on Truth Social.
"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!" he said.
"That’s why he knows nothing about the terrorists and other criminals pouring into our Country at record levels," Trump continued. "His only focus is destroying J6 Patriots, Raiding Mar-a-Lago, and saving Radical Left Lunatics, like the ones now in D.C. burning American flags and spray painting over our great National Monuments - with zero retribution.
"No, it was, unfortunately, a bullet that hit my ear, and hit it hard," he 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!"
House Speaker Mike Johnson also pushed back against Wray's suggestion during the hearing.
“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,” Johnson said.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a physician, blasted the director on X.
ABSOLUTELY IRRESPONSIBLE for Chris Wray to make such a statement as Director of the FBI.
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) July 25, 2024
Another POLITICALLY MOTIVATED move by the man that has repeatedly weaponized his office to tear down President Trump.
What little credibility he may have left is GONE after recklessly… https://t.co/hMftzOpZqV
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, meanwhile, argued "anyone who believes this conspiracy bulls*** is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons.”