US officials received intel about a sinister Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump just weeks before a deranged gunman shot at the GOP nominee at a Pennsylvania rally over the weekend.
The threat prompted the Secret Service to boost its protection around the 78-year-old, two US officials said — though the additional resources didn’t prevent Saturday’s shooting, which does not appear connected to the rogue nation’s plans.
Trump was grazed in the ear after Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire. Three rallygoers were hit by gunfire, including Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old hero firefighter who was killed as he protected his family.
The potential Iranian plot was shared with the lead agent on Trump’s protection detail and with the Trump campaign, the officials said.
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“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
“These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”
When Trump was president, he ordered the killing of Soleimani, the leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, in 2020.
“At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic,” Watson stressed.
The Secret Service has repeatedly warned the Trump campaign not to hold outdoor rallies following the threat due to the difficulties of controlling access, sources told CNN, which first reported the plot.
The warnings, though, have been more general in nature, the sources told the outlet.
One source told CNN that earlier in this year’s contest, the Trump campaign curbed spontaneous outdoor events where attendees weren’t first screened by the Secret Service.
“The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources, as needed,” agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told CNN Tuesday.
Guglielmi declined to address the specific threat, but said the agency “takes threats seriously and responds accordingly.”
Federal law enforcement have also warned of potential copycat attacks or election-related retaliation after the attempt on Trump’s life.
More Secret Service agents have been added to Trump’s detail, as well as President Biden. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy also received Secret Service protection following the shooting.
The Trump campaign declined to comment on the assassination plot.
“We do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to the United States Secret Service,” the campaign said in a statement to CNN.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations denied any plot to kill Trump.
“These accusations are unsubstantiated and malicious. From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani,” a spokesperson for the mission claimed to CNN.
“Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice.”
With Post wires