FBI Director Christopher Wray faced intense questioning from U.S. lawmakers about the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month, according to Al Jazeera.
Speaking to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, Wray promised that the FBI would leave “no stone unturned” to uncover the truth behind the attack, which he labeled as “an attack on our democracy and democratic process.”
“We will not and do not tolerate political violence of any kind, especially a despicable account of this magnitude,” he said, adding, “And I want to assure you and the American people that the men and women of the FBI will continue to work tirelessly to get to the bottom of what happened.”
The shooting at Trump’s rally on July 13 sent shockwaves across the nation, resulting in the death of one attendee and serious injuries to two others. The suspect, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, allegedly fired a shot from a rooftop that grazed Trump’s ear, having a clear view of the stage. The FBI quickly classified the incident as domestic terrorism and an attempted assassination, though Crooks’s motive remains unclear, according to Al Jazeera.
During his testimony, Wray revealed important findings from the ongoing FBI investigation. He disclosed that a drone had been found in Crooks’s vehicle, which had been flown about 200 yards from the rally stage before the event.
“We’re going to leave no stone unturned. The shooter might be deceased, but the FBI’s investigation is very much ongoing,” the director said.
The FBI’s investigation revealed troubling findings on Crooks’s phone, including photos of Trump, President Joe Biden, and other officials. Additionally, Crooks had researched the dates of the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s scheduled events. Despite assembling a detailed timeline of Crooks’s activities and online searches, the exact motive for targeting Trump remains unclear, according to Al Jazeera.
“A lot of the usual repositories of information have not yielded anything notable in terms of motive or ideology,” Wray said.
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, questioned Wray about several aspects of the investigation, including security lapses at the rally site and the explosives discovered in Crooks’s vehicle.
“We hope to learn more today from Director Wray about the shooter: his use of the drone, the explosives that were in his car, how he got on the roof and a host of other questions,” Jordan said, adding, “It is our hope that Director Wray’s testimony can begin to give answers to the American people about all these questions and concerns.”
Representative Jerry Nadler, the ranking Democrat on the committee, “unequivocally and unabashedly” condemned the assassination attempt, placing it within the larger context of political violence in America.
“If you think that this one assassin’s bullet was a bolt out of the blue and not part of a wave of violence that has threatened this nation for years, then you have missed the point,” Nadler said.
Wray’s testimony before lawmakers followed the resignation of US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who had faced intense criticism regarding security measures at the Trump rally. The scrutiny also extended to the FBI’s management of the investigation, with some lawmakers questioning the bureau’s claim that Crooks lacked a clear ideological motive. Despite the challenges and criticism, Wray reiterated the FBI’s commitment to uncovering the truth, drawing comparisons to historical instances of political violence in American history, according to Al Jazeera.
