The FBI said Monday it does want to interview former President Donald Trump as the victim of the July 13 assassination attempt.
Kevin Rojek, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Pittsburgh office, called it a “standard victim interview.”
“We want to get his perspective on what he observed,” Agent Rojek said, according to the Associated Press.
The announcement comes three days after the FBI belatedly acknowledged that Mr. Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet, either whole or fragmented.
It’s not clear why the FBI waited more than two weeks after the shooting to seek out the interview.
The Trump campaign confirmed to The Washington Times last week that the FBI had yet to interview Mr. Trump, who was the target of a 20-year-old gunman at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
A former agent who was part of the investigation into the 1981 shooting of President Reagan said the delay was an “absolute disgrace.”
Thomas J. Baker, who was the first FBI agent on the scene of the Reagan shooting, said he quickly assigned two agents to speak with Reagan. They had to wait two days while the president was fighting for his life in the hospital.
Mr. Baker said Reagan — and now Mr. Trump — are “victim-witnesses.” Even if they don’t end up providing new details, their voice is important, he said.
He said he was struck by FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony to Congress on Wednesday because it was clear that the FBI didn’t have the former president’s perspective.
In particular, Mr. Wray cast doubt on Mr. Trump’s view that he was struck by a bullet from the gunman — an assessment shared by the emergency room doctors and the former White House physician. Even The New York Times, after conducting photo and audio analysis, concluded that Mr. Trump was likely struck by the first of the gunman’s eight rounds.
On Friday, the FBI backtracked from Mr. Wray’s doubt and said the former president was struck in the ear by “a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle.”
New details also emerged about law enforcement officials sharing notes about the suspicious behavior of the shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, more than 90 minutes before he aimed at Mr. Trump.
Secret Service countersnipers texted each other about Crooks lingering near the Butler County warehouse where he eventually opened fire on Mr. Trump, according to messages obtained by The New York Times.
One sniper, who finished his shift just under two hours before Mr. Trump took the stage, saw the 20-year-old sitting at a picnic table as he left the building. He texted the other two snipers inside the warehouse that Crooks saw him and probably determined more agents were nearby.
Authorities lost track of Crooks until around 5:40 p.m., roughly 35 minutes before shots rang out.
This time one of the countersnipers shared photos of Crooks, and law enforcement was on high alert.
“Kid learning [sic] around building we are in. AGR I believe it is,” the agent said. “I did see him with a range finder looking towards stage. FYI. If you wanna notify SS snipers to look out. I lost sight of him.”
Two minutes later, another agent responded, “Call it in to command and have a uniform check it out.”
Two Butler Township police officers were sent to find Crooks. An officer hoisted the other officer up over the edge of the warehouse roof. Crooks then pointed his AR-15-style rifle at the officer, who fell to the ground to take cover.
Moments later, Crooks fired eight rounds, killing one rally-goer, wounding two others and grazing Mr. Trump’s right ear.
Secret Service snipers killed Crooks within seconds after he opened fire.
Little is known about why Crooks’ motive.
Investigators found photos of several high-profile figures on his phone, including Mr. Trump, President Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.
He registered for the Butler rally on July 7, though he looked up speaking dates for Mr. Biden and the Democratic National Convention.
He also researched Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley and how far away Lee Harvey Oswald was when he assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Crooks fired from about 150 yards from Mr. Trump.
The gunman went to a shooting range the day before the rally. Authorities found an armored tactical vest, four magazines of ammunition and two makeshift explosive devices in Crooks’ car.
Multiple security lapses at the rally — such as law enforcement identifying Crooks as a suspicious person, yet still letting him climb onto a roof overlooking the main stage — led to a bipartisan push for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to step down. She resigned last week, less than 10 days after the rally shooting.
Former fire chief Corey Comperatore, 50, was slain by the gunfire while shielding his family at the rally.
Two other men — 57-year-old David Dutch and 74-year-old James Copenhaver — were severely wounded but are expected to recover.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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