Trump Agrees to FBI Probe Interview on Assassination Attempt
Facts
- The FBI on Monday confirmed that former Pres. Donald Trump had agreed to its request to interview him about the attempt on his life, as part of the bureau's standard protocol to speak with victims as part of its investigations.[1]
- Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Pittsburgh field office, said the bureau wants the 'perspective' of the 2024 Repubican presidential nominee 'on what he observed' during the July 13 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. No date has been set for the interview.[1]
- Despite multiple investigations into what went wrong that day at the Butler Fair Show grounds, investigators haven't yet determined shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks' motive. US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the aftermath of the attempt.[2]
- In addition, FBI Director Christopher Wray's testimony to Congress last week raised questions about whether 'a bullet or shrapnel' struck Trump's ear, but the ex-president quickly countered that testimony on social media and the FBI confirmed in a statement that it was a bullet.[3]
- Meanwhile, texts provided to The New York Times show police were suspicious of Crooks at least 90 minutes before the shooting, not 60 minutes, as was claimed in recent congressional hearings. They also describe how Crooks was able to surveil the countersnipers who may have been able to stop him.[4]
- James Copenhaver, one of the men critically wounded during the shooting, was released from hospital on Sunday. The injured included Trump, Copenhaver, and David Dutch, while rally attendee Corey Comperatore was killed by the shooter.[5]
Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]BBC News, [3]Raw Story, [4]New York Times and [5]New York Post.
Narratives
- Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Archive. It's time for Trump to be more transparent about what happened to him earlier this month. By not releasing his medical records or cooperating with the FBI investigation, he has fueled the speculation about the event. Now that he's agreed to an interview, maybe the former president can help the FBI rather than erroneously accusing its agents of wrongdoing.
- Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. Considering how little urgency there was from members of government agencies whose duty it was to protect the former president from an assassination attempt, one can understand why Trump would be reticent about cooperating with the FBI. Perhaps he should be interviewing them about their failings rather than being treated with suspicion over an incident in which he was the victim.