FBI chief to face questions over Trump assassination attempt as he returns to Capitol Hill
FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify about the bureau’s investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. During a congressional hearing, lawmakers are likely to pressure him to provide new details about the shooter’s motive.
WASHINGTON — FBI Director Christopher Wray will testify Wednesday about the bureau’s investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trumpand lawmakers are likely to pressure him during a congressional hearing to provide new details about the shooter’s motive and background.
The hearing before the House Judiciary Committee will represent Wray’s most detailed comments yet on a shooting that has once again plunged the FBI into a political maelstrom as agents continue to investigate the 20-year-old gunman. Thomas Matthew Crooksand the most serious attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.
The hearing had been scheduled well before the June 13 shooting as part of the committee’s routine oversight of the FBI and Justice Department. While lawmakers will discuss a wide range of topics, questions about the shooting are expected to dominate the session.
Despite being appointed by Trump, Wray has typically faced hostile questioning from the Republican-led panel, a reflection of ongoing dissatisfaction with the FBI’s investigation into possible ties between Russia and the 2016 campaign. While the FBI has avoided the same level of scrutiny the Secret Service has over security lapses leading up to the shooting, which culminated in Tuesday’s resignation of director Kimberly CheatleWray is likely to face questioning from lawmakers skeptical of the agency’s assessment that Crooks left no clear ideological motive that could explain his actions.
The FBI said it is investigating a shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left one person dead and two others seriously injured as an act of domestic terrorism and attempted murder.
Wray and other senior officials privately briefed members of Congress last week, telling them that Crooks had pictures on his phone Trump and President Joe Biden and other officials, and had also researched dates for the Democratic National Convention and Trump’s appearances. A law enforcement official told The Associated Press last week that Crooks had also taken a ride above the rally site before the event, apparently in an attempt to scout the scene in advance.