After initially casting doubt about whether former President Donald Trump was struck by a bullet or by debris or shrapnel when a shooter fired at him during a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, the FBI confirmed in testimony before Congress on Tuesday that it was in fact a bullet that hit him. 

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate stated that the impact was from a bullet as he offered condolences to the victims of the shooting, Corey Comperatore, who was killed in the shooting, and James Copenhaver and David Dutch who were injured.

“And to former president Trump, who was also struck by a bullet fired from the shooter’s rifle,” Abbate said, adding that the bureau looks at the assassination attempt as domestic terrorism.

“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 agency said.

Wray doubtful, Trump indignant

FBI Director Christopher Wray had conjectured initially that it might not have been a bullet that struck Trump, causing the Secret Service to throw themselves over him to protect him from further harm.

After conducting an investigation, however, they came to the conclusion that it was a bullet.

Trump reacted angrily to the doubts about what happened during the shooting.

“Anyone who believes this conspiracy bulls–t is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung told the Post.

“We have seen there is no depth low enough for the Biden-Harris Administration. So it’s not surprising they are doing this now,” he added.

Never should have happened

Trump has been asked by the Secret Service not to do further outdoor rallies, he vowed on Monday to keep doing them in defiance of the shooter and other detractors.

While it is easier to secure an indoor venue, it is also more limiting as far as attendance.

And let's face it, if any member of law enforcement at that rally had been doing their job properly, the shooting never would have happened even if the venue was outdoors.

Police did take down the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, immediately.

But as Trump said during a Fox News interview, it was "nine seconds too late."