The former president, Donald Trump, has agreed to participate in an interview as part of an FBI investigation surrounding an attempted murder against him during a campaign rally. This was confirmed by Kevin Rojek, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s office in Pittsburgh, who elaborated that the agency seeks to obtain “Trump’s perspective on what he observed.”
Trump, who is currently the Republican Party’s candidate for the 2024 presidential election, has accepted to take part in a standard offer interview, which will follow the procedures the FBI uses in such cases, Rojek told reporters. The former president sustained a gunshot wound to the ear during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. This incident has raised significant criticism and raised questions regarding security measures prior to the event.
According to witnesses, the alleged assailant, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, had positioned himself on a rooftop with a direct view of the stage where the rally took place. One participant was killed, while two others were seriously injured in the incident.
During a briefing on Monday, FBI officials stated that they have not yet identified a motive for the shooting. However, they mentioned that Crooks had conducted online searches related to previous mass shootings, improvised explosives, as well as an attempted murder of the Slovak Prime Minister in May.
American politicians have pressed the country’s law enforcement agencies to clarify their security protocols leading up to the shooting at the Trump rally, which the FBI has classified as an act of “domestic terrorism” and an attempted murder.
Last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated during a congressional hearing that the agency would investigate the matter thoroughly. The day prior, the Director of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned under increasing pressure related to the incident. In an email to her staff, she was clear in her accountability: “I fully take responsibility for the security breach. In light of recent events, I have made the difficult decision to step down as your Director.”