FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers Wednesday the agency would leave no stone unturned in its investigation of the gunman behind the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
The director, testifying before the House Judiciary Committee as part of an oversight hearing for the agency, detailed information that authorities have discovered about the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania that injured the former president and left one spectator dead and another two critically injured.
Wray testified that they do not yet have a clear picture of the gunman’s motive. He said the gunman was interested in public figures and around July 6 or so became focused on Trump and the rally.
The shooter on July 6 did a Google search for “How far away was Oswald from Kennedy,” Wray said, citing an analysis of a laptop that the investigation tied to the shooter.
“That is the same day that it appears that he registered for the Butler rally,” Wray said.
Wray said authorities have recovered three explosive devices: two in the shooter’s vehicle and one from his residence. He also told lawmakers the gunman flew a drone at around 3:50 p.m. or 4 p.m. on the day of the shooting, about 200 yards away from the stage. Trump took the stage about two hours later, according to The Associated Press.
The director also sought to balance expectations of what he could share with lawmakers while acknowledging the interest in the case from Congress and the public. Wray said he wanted to provide information but also sought to respect the ongoing investigative process and make sure he did not prematurely provide information that turns out to be different later on.
“We have tried to be transparent with both Congress and the American people as we’re going along in the investigation — frankly, unusually so for an ongoing investigation — given the sheer nature of it,” Wray said. “We have provided a lot of information. I expect to continue to provide information.”
Members of Congress are searching for answers about the security failures at the rally and have launched multiple inquiries into the assassination attempt. The House is expected to adopt a resolution this week to establish a task force on the shooting.
Lawmakers say they are looking for transparency in the wake of the incident, a topic that was on full display earlier this week when then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle sidestepped or gave limited answers to a string of lawmaker questions at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing. She has since resigned, a move that came after a wave of criticism about her agency’s failure to protect Trump.
At Wednesday’s hearing, Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said a portion of the country has a “healthy skepticism” regarding the FBI’s ability to conduct a “fair, honest, open and transparent investigation.”
“They can’t tell us who planted the pipe bombs on Jan. 6,” said Jordan, a frequent critic of the FBI.
Wray said the agency is investigating the gunman to find out his motive and his preparations before the shooting, along with whether there were any co-conspirators or accomplices.
Under questioning from Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., Wray testified they have not developed any evidence at this time to suggest there were any accomplices, cooperators or assisters.
“But again, the investigation’s ongoing,” Wray said.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, used his opening statement to condemn the assassination attempt, saying the incident was “not just an attack on a man, but an attack on our democracy.”
“Political violence erodes the very foundations of our nation, the concepts of freedom of speech, of peaceful transitions of power, of a democratic government at its core,” he said. “These cannot exist if political violence is allowed to fester and to go unchecked.”
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