How could a Trump interview help the FBI’s investigation into the rally shooting?

(NewsNation) — A possible FBI interrogation of former President Donald Trump could be crucial to the investigation into the July 13 assassination attempt in which he suffered a graze wound to the ear, a former U.S. intelligence agent said.

Trump has agreed to be interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation into the shooting that killed one attendee and seriously injured two others at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this month. The planned interview with the 2024 Republican presidential candidate is part of the FBI’s standard protocol for speaking to victims as part of its criminal investigation, the Associated Press reported.

“It will be important for them to hear from his perspective how things unfolded and what happened,” said Donald Lane, a former U.S. intelligence agent under former Presidents George HW Bush and Bill Clinton.

Investigators said Monday that the gunman was searching for mass riot gear and explosive devices at the rally before the shooting. A local police sniper also spotted the gunman about an hour and a half before the shooting, the New York Times reported.

“I said from the beginning that I think this young man falls more into the category of a school shooter or a person who wants to cause mass destruction,” Lane said. “I think he put this plan together very quickly and identified a target that would be in the city, so it was convenient for him.”

The FBI has instructed the Trump campaign team not to hold any outdoor events while the investigation is ongoing.

“I have no doubt they could create an external site now,” Lane said. “I think right now they’re trying to get to the bottom of this and maybe find some more answers before they do that.”