Bullet struck Trump's ear during assassination attempt: FBI

WASHINGTON

Former US President Donald Trump was struck by a bullet during an assassination attempt earlier the month in the state of Pennsylvania, the FBI said Friday.

"What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle," the bureau said in a statement.

The statement comes two days after FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee that “there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that, you know, hit his ear."

Thomas Matthew Crooks, a lone 20-year-old gunman, opened fire on Trump during a campaign rally in Butler County on July 13, striking him in his right ear. The gunman also took the life of Corey Comperatore and seriously injured two others.

Crooks was killed at the scene.

In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump, who is the Republican presidential candidate in the November presidential election, said: "I assume that’s the best apology that we’ll get from Director Wray, but it is fully accepted!"

Former White House doctor and Rep. Ronny Jackson from the state of Texas said in a letter earlier that there is no evidence that Trump was hit with "anything other than a bullet."