FBI Director Chris Wray probably didn’t intend to spark a controversy during his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee this week, but the Trump-appointed official managed to make some unintended news anyway.
The trouble began when Wray testified that there’s some uncertainty surrounding the precise nature of Donald Trump’s injury from the recent assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. “I think with respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” the FBI director told lawmakers.
That might’ve reflected Wray’s genuine beliefs at this stage in the investigation, but the comments were not well received. Congressional Republicans spent much of yesterday expressing outrage about the testimony. Last night, the former president — who’d already called for Wray’s “immediate” resignation — published a furious, 144-word condemnation of the man he chose to lead the bureau.
This morning, Team Trump went a little further, issuing another written statement from Rep. Ronny Jackson, addressed to “concerned citizens of the United States.”
The right-wing Texas Republican, after reminding everyone that he’s Trump’s former White House physician, wrote:
“I have reviewed President Trump’s medical records from Butler Memorial Hospital, where he was initially evaluated and treated for a ‘Gunshot Wound to the Right Ear.’ … Based on my direct observations of the injury, my relevant clinical background, and my significant experience evaluating and treating patients with similar wounds, I completely concur with the initial assessment and treatment provided by the doctors and nurses at Butler Memorial Hospital on the day of the shooting.”
Jackson went on criticize Wray, saying that Congress should “correct the record” in the wake of his sworn testimony. Referencing the recent attempt on Trump’s life, the letter added, “There is absolutely no evidence that it was anything other than a bullet.”
The congressman’s statement has been promoted via social media by both the former president and his campaign team.
For the record, I find it very easy to believe that Trump’s ear was, in fact, hit by a bullet. What’s more, I’m not altogether sure whether it matters: A gunman tried to kill an American presidential candidate. Whether the projectile that hit the Republican was a bullet or some kind of shrapnel, his life was clearly in great danger, and the incident deserves to be carefully scrutinized with the utmost seriousness.
I also think it’s fair to say Team Trump hasn’t handled questions about what happened particularly well.
As we’ve discussed, for the first several days after the shooting, the former president and his political operation had surprisingly little to say about the medical care he’d received. What’s more, it wasn’t at all clear why they were being so tight-lipped about this.
An Associated Press report noted last week that the public was “still in the dark over the extent of his injuries, what treatment the Republican presidential nominee received in the hospital, and whether there may be any long-term effects on his health. Trump’s campaign has refused to discuss his condition, release a medical report or records, or make the doctors who treated him available, leaving information to dribble out from Trump, his friends and family.”
Eventually, Team Trump issued a statement from Jackson — a scandal-plagued former White House physician with serious credibility problems — instead of from one of the physicians who actually treated the former president after the incident.
Now, they’re promoting another statement from Jackson, as part of an apparent effort to push back against Trump’s handpicked FBI director.
Again, something hit Trump’s ear. Based on everything we now know, I’m very much inclined to believe that it was a bullet. But what’s baffling is why the Republican and his operation are so resistant to transparency.
Jackson’s latest statement said he’s reviewed the relevant medical records from Butler Memorial Hospital. Terrific. Why not show those same records to the public and put an end to the speculation? What’s more, why not make doctors who treated Trump available to journalists, instead of relying on a controversial member of Congress?
This post updates our related earlier coverage.