Trump Briefed on Iran Assassination Plot, Campaign Says
(Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was briefed by Biden administration officials Tuesday on “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him,” his campaign said in a statement.
Most Read from Bloomberg
A representative of the Director of National Intelligence told Trump that Iran was plotting an effort to destabilize the US, Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said.
“Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference,” Cheung added.
Trump, in a subsequent post to his social media network, said there had been “big threats on my life by Iran.”
“The entire U.S. Military is watching and waiting,” he continued. “Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again. Not a good situation for anyone.”
The US Secret Service boosted security around the former president earlier this year after first picking up intelligence of Iran’s efforts to assassinate him, people familiar with the matter said.
Since then, a gunman shot at and wounded Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania, and federal prosecutors say another man was plotting to kill the former president at his Florida golf course. There is no indication that either of those incidents were linked to Iran’s efforts.
It’s not clear if Trump’s briefing on Tuesday suggested additional intelligence, or was simply an update on the previously disclosed threat. A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged the briefing but declined to address any specifics. The White House’s National Security Council did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump also thanked lawmakers for $231 million in additional aid for the Secret Service as part of legislation funding the federal government until mid-December expected to pass later this week.
“Nice to see Republicans and Democrats get together on something,” he said.
Iran has targeted Trump administration officials after the January 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Soleimani was assassinated in a drone strike ordered by Trump.
“We have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement in July.
The US earlier this month also accused Iranian hackers of emailing stolen information from Trump’s presidential campaign to President Joe Biden’s campaign team and journalists.
Trump has repeatedly referenced the assassination attempts on the campaign trail in recent days and on Monday accused the Justice Department of “mishandling and downplaying” the Florida case, saying prosecutors had not brought severe enough charges against the would-be assassin.
In court, prosecutors indicated more serious charges were expected to be filed in the coming days. Accused criminals routinely are charged with easily provable crimes as a placeholder before more significant allegations are added.
--With assistance from Katrina Manson.
(Updates throughout with additional detail)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
This Camera Went Viral Two Years Ago. You Still Can’t Buy One
Palantir’s CEO and Wall Street Annoy Each Other Straight to the Bank
Five Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Entertainment Business
Threats to Local US Election Officials Are Rising, and More Workers Are Quitting
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
