“There is absolutely no doubt in the FBI’s mind,” Abbate said, noting that “there never has been.”
FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate took questions from the Senate on Tuesday to answer for the security failures at a Butler, Penn. rally that saw an assassination attempt on the life of Donald Trump. Abbate was grilled by Senator John Kennedy, who sought clarity from the agency. "Is there any doubt in your mind or in the collective mind of the FBI that President Trump was shot in the ear by a bullet fired by the assassin?" Kennedy asked.
"There is absolutely no doubt in the FBI's mind," Abbate said, noting that "there never has been."
Loading this lets X set cookies and collect data.
View on X"It wasn't a space laser?" Kennedy asked. "No," Abbate said.
"It wasn't a murder hornet?" Kennedy asked, to which Abbate said "Absolutely not."
"It wasn't Sasquatch?" Kennedy pressed. "No, Senator," Abbate said.
"Glad we cleared that up," Kennedy said.
While Kennedy's line of questioning may have the appearance of absurdity, it was no more absurd than recent testimony given to the House by FBI head Christopher Wray, who suggested that the FBI didn't know what had hit the former president, and that perhaps it was shrapnel or a piece of glass.
Reports and video all showed that Trump was hit with a bullet from would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, but in questioning by the House, Wray appeared uncertain. This notion fed into conspiracy theories from far-leftists who claimed that Trump was either not shot or that the assassination attempt had been staged. An FBI spokesperson came out after Wray's testimony and said that Trump was clearly hit with a bullet.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
