Former First Lady Melania Trump is questioning accounts of the attempted assassination of her husband, former President Donald Trump, saying on Sept. 10 that “there is definitely more to this story.”
In a video posted on her X account, she said that the shooting on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, was “horrible” and “distressing” for her.
The former president was wounded in his right ear by a bullet allegedly fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot and killed by a Secret Service sniper.
“Now, the silence around it feels heavy. I can’t help but wonder why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth,” Melania Trump said in the video.
Posted on social media hours before her husband’s first debate with Democratic presidential nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris, the video ended by urging people to purchase her forthcoming memoir, “Melania.”
It’s not clear whether her book will delve into the assassination attempt, which also left a rally-goer dead and two people wounded.
Questions emerged in the immediate aftermath of the shooting about whether the Secret Service or local law enforcement had done enough to prevent Crooks from climbing onto the roof from which he allegedly fired the gun and which was later confirmed to have had no agents stationed there.
Hours after the shooting, Melania Trump issued a lengthy statement thanking law enforcement and also people praying for the Trump family.
“When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron’s life, were on the brink of devastating change,” she said in mid-July, referring to their son, Barron Trump.
“I am grateful to the brave Secret Service agents and law enforcement officials who risked their own lives to protect my husband.”
The former first lady also called on Americans to rise “above the hate.”
“America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one,” she said at the time.
House lawmakers set up a task force to investigate any possible security failures around the shooting. During a contentious hearing, a bipartisan group of lawmakers questioned Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle on details about the incident. She resigned a day later, and the agency named a new acting director.
The Department of Homeland Security also initiated a review of the Secret Service agent’s shooting of Crooks and an investigation into how security was handled for the rally.
Over the past month or so, few details have been released by the FBI or local law enforcement about Crooks or his motive, and the Secret Service has not released any new information about possible security lapses.
The FBI has not said whether Crooks was motivated by any particular political animus, and the Crooks family hasn’t released a statement about the incident.
“Melania” is scheduled for release by Skyhorse Publishing on Oct. 8. According to a synopsis, Melania Trump will reflect on her childhood in Slovenia as well as how she met Donald Trump.
The former first lady has been mostly absent from her husband’s campaign trial. She made an appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee but didn’t speak. In several interviews after Trump left office, she has affirmed that she backs the former president’s 2024 campaign.
On Monday, she released a campaign-style video with a scrolling book excerpt that references the 2020 election and free speech in the United States.
“The 2020 election results changed our lives forever. It impacted our quality of life, cost of food, gasoline, safety, and even the geopolitical landscape,” Melania Trump says off camera as the words appear on the screen.
“America is more divided today than ever before. It has become increasingly apparent that there are significant challenges to free speech as demonstrated by the efforts to silence my husband.”
The Epoch Times contacted the Secret Service for comment but didn’t receive a reply by publication time.