Melania Trump questions official account of assassination attempt on her husband

Melania Trump is questioning officials’ accounts of the assassination attempt on her husband, former President Donald Trump, saying “we need to uncover the truth” and “there is definitely more to this story.”

In a new video released on the former first lady’s social media account, Melania Trump says the July 13 shooting in Pennsylvania that left one person dead and the former president with a wound to his ear was a “horrible, distressing experience.”

“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 says. The 20-year-old shooter was able to fire off multiple rounds from a nearby rooftop before he was killed by law enforcement officers.

It is the first time the former first lady has spoken about the shooting on camera. She released a lengthy statement after the attack thanking Secret Service agents and law enforcement who protected her husband and calling on Americans to “ascend 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 wrote in a statement.

The former first lady’s latest statement comes as conspiracies and misinformation have swirled around the shooter and the attack. Federal investigators have combed through the shooter’s background and online history but have yet to identify a motive.

In the aftermath of the shooting, Congress moved to open investigations into the communication and security breakdown that led to the gunman being able to fire a barrage of deadly shots from a rooftop near the stage where Trump was speaking. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), who chairs the House’s bipartisan task force on the attempted shooting, hopes to hold the first public hearing on their investigation in the coming weeks.

The former head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheatle, and the agency came under intense scrutiny after the shooting and she later resigned.

Melania Trump is currently promoting a memoir, “Melania,” that will be released by Skyhorse Publishing on Oct. 8.

She has largely been absent from the campaign trail, although she appeared but did not speak on the last night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

On Monday, Melania Trump released a brief video referring to the 2020 election, which her husband lost, 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. “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.”

It is unclear exactly what the former first lady is referring to, although Donald Trump is still subject to a partial gag order in his Manhattan hush money trial until his sentencing.

According to the listing on Skyhorse Publishing, Melania Trump “reflects on her Slovenian childhood, the pivotal moments that led her to the world of high fashion in Europe and New York, and the serendipitous meeting with Donald Trump, a chance encounter that forever changed the course of her life.”

Melania Trump said in a video about her book that the memoir writing experience has been “ a deeply personal and reflective journey.”

“As a private person, who has often been the subject of public scrutiny, and misrepresentation, I feel a responsibility to clarify the facts,” she said. “I believe it is important to share my perspective. The truth.”