The Secret Service has stepped up its protection for Donald Trump in recent weeks after U.S. officials received intelligence about an Iranian plot to assassinate the previous president, three officials conversant in the matter said NBC News on Tuesday.
The intelligence was obtained and Trump’s security measures were strengthened before the Republican presidential candidate was the goal of an assassination attempt by 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
CNN first reported the news of the Iranian plot, raising further questions on the Secret Service's failure to forestall the Crooks' shooting from the roof of a close-by constructing.
There aren’t any known connections between Crooks and the conspiracy in Iran.
“After learning of the increasing threat, [the National Security Council] contacted directly [United States Secret Service] at the highest levels to be absolutely certain that they continue to monitor the latest reports,” a national security official told NBC News.
“The USSS shared this information with the Operations Commander and the Trump campaign team was alerted to an evolving threat,” the official said. “In response, the Secret Service deployed resources and assets to protect former President Trump. All of this occurred in the lead-up to Saturday.”
Anthony Guglielmi, chief Secret Service spokesman, told CNBC: “The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new information about potential threats and are taking actions to adjust their resources as needed.”
“We cannot comment on any specific threat situation other than that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly,” Guglielmi said.
National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement to NBC News that law enforcement authorities investigating Crooks' shooting “have found no links between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, either domestic or foreign.”
“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, going back to the last administration,” Watson said.
“These threats stem from Iran's desire to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We view this as a national and domestic security matter of the highest priority,” she said.
Soleimani, then Iran's most powerful general, was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, in January 2020 during Trump's term in office.
It was previously known that Iran targeted other former senior Trump administration officials involved in the operation that led to Soleimani's death, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who continue to have security intelligence as a result of those plans.
Iran's mission in the United States in a The statement on the alleged plot states“These allegations are unfounded and malicious.”
“Trump is a criminal who should be delivered to justice and punished for ordering the assassination of General Soleiman,” the mission said, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's state-run intelligence service.
“Iran has chosen the legal route to bring him to justice,” the mission said.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting former presidents and major presidential candidates, faced scathing criticism for failing to stop Crooks from shooting Trump and those attending the campaign rally.
The shooting left one man dead and two others seriously injured. It occurred two days before Trump was officially nominated as the Republican Party's presidential candidate at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
The agency said the local police in Butler Township were responsible for securing the building because it was outside the security perimeter of the rally site, which is the responsibility of the Secret Service.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in an interview with ABC News that the shooting was “unacceptable … and something like this mustn’t occur again.”
“The responsibility is mine,” Cheatle said.
However, Cheatle said she wouldn’t resign over the incident, which is now being investigated by Congress.
This is breaking news, please refresh for updates.
image credit : www.cnbc.com