A gunman took shots at Donald Trump at a rally last week, making fools of the Secret Service and leaving the former president with a cut on his ear. Given the instant deluge of stupid conspiracy theories, the notion that he was grazed not by a bullet but by shrapnel or something else was given little credence. But Trump was cagey about disclosing details of his injury, ballistic recreations showed the slim (albeit entirely possible) chance of a .223 shot nicking skin without damaging flesh, and now FBI Director Chris Wray says they cannot yet confirm what hit Trump: "There is some question about whether or not it was a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear," Wray said Wednesday.
Twice during the hours-long session, Wray told lawmakers that the FBI was still working to determine what exactly struck the former president on his right ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. "My understanding is that either it [a bullet] or some shrapnel is what grazed his ear," Wray told Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.).
It hardly matters, all told: Trump had every reason to believe he was grazed by a bullet and of his many untrue beliefs and claims this one was reasonable. Those who invested themselves emotionally in him being hit by any particular object, bullet or otherwise, are his most committed cultists and adversaries. The FBI suggesting it was shrapnel gives no credence to kayfabe conspiracy theorists, either: it's just scientists and engineers doing their work. If Wray had wanted to play the part, he'd have put it in a letter a week before the election.
