Alec Baldwin Doubles Down Disputing FBI Claim Trigger Was Pulled in 'Rust' Shooting

In the case of the Rust shooting, Alec Baldwin maintains that he did not pull the trigger of the gun that discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. During an interview with Chris Cuomo, Baldwin reiterated his claim that he did not pull the trigger of the gun, per TMZ. Despite Baldwin's insistence that he did not fire the gun, the FBI recently released a report stating that the incident could not have taken place without the trigger being pulled. 

Baldwin spoke with Cuomo on his new show, The Chris Cuomo Project. As TMZ stressed, it appears as though the interview was conducted before the FBI's report went public. Cuomo asked Baldwin how he's been navigating the situation nearly a year after it took place, and the actor responded that he is not the real victim here, Hutchins is. He maintained that he did not pull the trigger and noted that everyone on the set of the production was shocked and "confused" by what happened. 

"Everyone that was there that day walked around confused — confusion was what reigned that day because what happened, and what we actually learned happened, was not even in the realm of possibility. It wasn't even possible," Baldwin said. He went on to say that he has worked in the entertainment industry for decades and that he hasn't experienced any safety incidents before this. Baldwin also said that eventually, this situation will be "cleared up" for him. While the actor continues to say that he did not pull the trigger of the gun, the FBI's report painted a different version of the events. In their finding, they determined that the gun involved in the accident — a .45 colt caliber F.lli Pietta single-action revolver —"could not be made to fire without a pull of the trigger."

Baldwin's lawyer, Luke Nikas, soon responded to the report. In his statement, Nikas said that the FBI's report was being "misconstrued." The statement began, "The critical report is the one from the medical examiner, who concluded that this was a tragic accident. This is the third time the New Mexico authorities have found that Alec Baldwin had no authority or knowledge of the allegedly unsafe conditions on the set, that he was told by the person in charge of safety on the set that the gun was 'cold,' and believed the gun was safe." Nikas continued, "The FBI report is being misconstrued. The gun fired in testing only one time --without having to pull the trigger -- when the hammer was pulled back and the gun broke in two different places. The FBI was unable to fire the gun in any prior test, even when pulling the trigger, because it was in such poor condition."