Seems like a lot of people hate Donald Trump and want him dead. Gee, how could that be, I wonder? In any event, CNN is reporting that “US authorities obtained intelligence from a human source in recent weeks on a plot by Iran to try to assassinate Donald Trump, a development that led to the Secret Service increasing security around the former president in recent weeks, multiple people briefed on the matter told CNN.” The article makes clear that the 20-year-old shooter from this past weekend, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was not involved and this is a second assassination plot.
A US national security official said the Secret Service and Trump campaign were made aware of the threat before Saturday’s rally.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream,” the official told CNN. “NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday.”
The Trump campaign would not disclose whether it was made aware of the Iran threat. “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.
The Secret Service recently “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail,” agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement on Sunday.
Secret Service officials have warned the Trump campaign repeatedly against holding outdoor rallies, which pose greater risks than events to which the agency can better control access, people briefed on the matter said. The warnings have been more general in nature, the sources said.
At one point during this election cycle, the campaign stopped holding spontaneous off-the-record events where guests weren’t swept by Secret Service beforehand due to security concerns, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
The FBI, which is conducting the investigation into Saturday’s shooting, declined to comment.
This begs the question of why the Iranians want Trump dead. Revenge for the death of Qassem Suleimani is the obvious reason. They’ve been talking about that for some time now. Another one is that a Trump assassination would sow chaos in America. Doing it during election time would kill two birds with one stone. In February of 2023, Defense Post wrote: “We hope we can kill Trump, Pompeo, (former US general Kenneth) McKenzie and the military commanders who gave the order” to kill Soleimani, General Amirali Hajizadeh, the Guards’ aerospace unit commander, said on television late Friday.
That was not that long ago. Suleimani was killed in a drone strike in January, 2020 and Iran has been out for blood ever since.
It’s going to be an interesting three months, on that you may depend.
Didn’t tRump cancel the nuclear agreement and reinstate sanctions against Iran? Besides Soleimani, that could also be a reason they really don’t want to see him regain the office.
I find this one as hard to swallow as the thought last weekend’s fiasco was an actual assassination attempt (it wasn’t). Iran gains too much by having a moron in the w.h. This might be as fake as the staged act we saw last weekend.
I doubt it was,staged. There would have to be too many moving parts and the more people in on it, the quicker it unravels. Nope, it was a huge screwup with a lot of fingerpointing,local cops v. Secret Service. In the end it will be the fault of Secret Service because it is their job to.keep Trump.safe.
Never attribute to.malice (or in this case attempting to.stage an assassination attempt) what can more readily be explained by incompetence. Think of it as a corrolary to.the KISS principle.
Might as well throw this affair into the ‘who killed Kennedy’ pile of things in which we are unlikely to discover the TRUTH.
“Second Trump Assassination Plot Uncovered, Security Ramped Up”
Only two?
So far.
Discovered.
If this is true why was the security around Trump so botched on Saturday?
It was a lack of professionalism on the part of Trump’s detail, caused by their MAGAzation which is how they are on his detail in the first place. When he had no choice, knowing he would HAVE to leave the WH for FL he had plenty of agents who had been or turned MAGA that sucked up to him. He had his pick of who he wanted and as is so typical with Trump loyalty to HIM (plus their ability to make sure he knew it) was all that mattered. Superficially they maintained the quals to be part of the Secret Services Personal Protective Details but that extra bit faded with time and increasing separation from the main body of the Secret Service.
In the book version of The Day of the Jackal during his hiring interview the assassin describes the process of how over time procedures become routine and become even lax. DeGaule (the target in the book) was viewed with almost a cult-like status by many in France at the time the book was set (he had becomes so during the war) and people working for that kind of person can inspire even their security to develop a “it could never happen to HIM” attitude, even contempt over the thought anyone would try. It doesn’t have to be some elected person either. The point is that extra bit of vigilance fades away.
In this instance the rally was in a ruby red town in a ruby red part of PA. His detail including the advance team were overconfident when it came to treating any threat to Trump the way they should have. I’m quite certain they felt that anyone attending the rally would love Trump. Worse, while I have little doubt his detail would take a bullet for him, they assumed any state/local they’d be working with would also be willing to die for their orange hued turd king. It turns out they were wrong. Prompted by people near the building a couple of local LE did try to take a look at the rooftop to see if there was indeed a guy with a rifle who seemed suspicious. One of them, boosted by the other got a look and the sniper saw him. Rather than risk his own life by trying to engage the sniper with his handgun (not that he’d have had much chance against a rifle) wasted no time in dropping down. Making like that school cop at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas h.s. or the Rambo/SWAT wannabes in Uvalde. Had that cop at least tried to engage and fired off some shots it might well have alerted both Trump’s detail there was a shooter out there, and also the snipers on that building behind Trump who WERE we are told keeping an eye on that rooftop. It turns out they weren’t Secret Service but rather locals. Probably nothing more than really good shots but they sure as hell weren’t operating like trained snipers. REAL, trained snipers work in teams. One shooter and one spotter. Take a look at pictures – two guys dressed up like good guys with rifles and scopes. NEITHER had a spotter with their own scope (and site diagram) next to them. Not even a single spotter for the both of them. If they really were trained snipers they blew off all they’d been taught, again probably due to an assumption “their” Trump was so awesome no one would dare try anything.
It was a staggering security failure on multiple levels. And I say it’s because Trump’s detail, like others who’ve served them don’t take their oath seriously. When one raises their right hand to take the oath to work for the federal govt. in ANY capacity one swears to protect and defend the CONSTITUION of the United States. Not a person/President. Not the flag. The CONSTITUION. For too many, including Trump’s detail that part means nothing. They might as well replace the word Constitution with Trump, and if he were to get back in the WH that’s probably what will happen!
Then I would like to know how security was before it was “ramped up” before Saturday…
And how many attempts at Biden?