A Trump campaign spokesman stated that top US intelligence officials informed former President Trump on Tuesday over threats from Iran to murder him.
“President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States,” a statement issued by Steven Cheung said.
“Intelligence officials have noted a rise in the frequency and sophistication of these coordinated attacks in recent months. Law enforcement officials from various agencies are collaborating to safeguard President Trump and prevent any interference with the upcoming election.”
Even though they wouldn’t go into detail, an official from the ODNI’s office confirmed on Tuesday night that a briefing had taken place.
There was no quick response from Iran’s permanent mission in New York about a request for comment.
There was no instant response from the Harris campaign.
In response to information allegedly pertaining to an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump that was obtained by the Biden administration this year, the Secret Service increased security surrounding Trump. Officials stated at the time that there was no indication of a link between the Iranian plot and the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, which occurred days after the July 13 attempt on Trump’s life. Following this, news of the heightened security measures broke.
The claims of an assassination plan were described by Iranian official media as “unsubstantiated and malicious” when they were first revealed by the Iranian delegation to the U.S.
Trump denied allegations of leaks to the Daily Mail last month, saying he was avoiding intelligence briefings. The status of Trump’s return to routine briefings was unclear at press time.
In response to a request for comment, the Trump campaign did not immediately provide one.
Trump was the target of what appears to have been a second assassination attempt on September 15 in West Palm Beach, Florida. After his arrest that day, suspect Ryan Routh was charged with multiple offenses, including attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to grant Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris the same degree of protection as President Joe Biden, among other prominent presidential candidates.
After Biden signs the law, it will go to the White House. According to Biden, the Secret Service “needs more help.”
U.S. authorities later verified that Iran was responsible for attempts to undermine the presidential campaigns of both parties; in June, Trump’s campaign accused Iran of a hacking attempt. The intelligence community has just recently concluded that Iranian actors compromised Trump’s campaign and transmitted confidential material to Biden campaign operatives.
According to last week’s semi-official Fars news agency, Iran’s envoy to the UN characterized the claims as “entirely baseless, lacking any credibility and legitimacy,” a strong denial by the Iranian government.