“Amid rising tensions, US intelligence warns of new Iranian threats targeting Donald Trump. Assassination attempts raise serious concerns about Secret Service preparedness and future security measures.”
US officials recently briefed Trump campaign on new intel about Iranian threats, sources say:
US intelligence officials recently briefed Donald Trump’s campaign on new indications that Iran is planning to escalate attacks on the former president and those around him, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said at this point, there is no indication that the intelligence is related to the apparent second assassination attempt against on Trump on Sunday.
Recent intelligence briefings over the potential of physical and cybersecurity attacks added to the overall heightened threat of security against Trump.
CNN had reported earlier that the authorities had gathered intelligence on a plot by Iran to kill Trump in the weeks leading up to the attempt on the former president’s life at a campaign rally held in Pennsylvania last July.
The would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed that day; there has been no evidence linking him to the plot.
Separately, the US government announced today it has determined that the Iranian government is responsible for a hack-and-leak operation targeting President Trump’s campaign and other efforts to target the Biden-Harris campaign.
Person detained in apparent assassination attempt identified, sources say
The suspect being held in connection with the alleged attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump is identified as Ryan Wesley Routh, three law enforcement sources told.
A flashback to the July Trump assassination attempt, and what’s happened since then
A flashback to the July Trump assassination attempt and what has happened since:
Not so long ago, a staccato of shots rang out in the middle of his speech during a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania – an assassination attempt that killed one attendee and severely injured two others.
The FBI states that either a bullet or a fragment of one hit Trump, wounding him on the ear.
The attack triggered a broader probe into lapses in Trump’s security apparatus, and rising attention was placed on the Secret Service.
Related : Walz says he’s “glad” Trump is safe and condemns violence
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, on August 10.
As politicians and officials are still probing an earlier attempt to assassinate Trump amid a possible second assassination attempt, outrage festers over the fact that lessons from the earlier attempt were not learned by the protecting agents.
Flashback to Trump Rally in Pennsylvania Video captures scenes of some onlookers realizing the gunman was on the roof at least one minute and 57 seconds before the shooting rampage.
Additionally, several rally attendees try to draw attention to the gunman as Trump was on stage giving his speech. Killer Thomas Matthew Crooks died at the scene.
Secret Service arms up security:
Since the incident, the Secret Service has beefed up Trump’s security detail and encapsulates the former president in bulletproof glass at campaign rallies.
A senior official said that additional measures would also include adding more agents and certain technological changes, but the official wouldn’t comment further.
Fallout: Amid criticism of security lapses tied to the assassination attempt, former Secretary Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in July, and lawmakers continue to pile pressure on the agency to make individuals accountable for those lapses.
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Ronald Rowe, who is acting director of the Secret Service, had said several times he’d wait until the results of internal investigations into the shooting before making personnel decisions over that day’s failures.
Multiple Secret Service employees from the Pittsburgh Field Office and one member of Trump’s security detail who aided in planning the July 13 rally were reassigned to administrative duties and asked to telecommute.
Schumer briefed by Secret Service director after Trump security incident
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he has been briefed by acting Secret Service Director Ronald L. Rowe, Jr. after shots were fired at Trump International Golf Club near former President Donald Trump.
“I applaud the Secret Service for their quick response to ensure former President Trump’s safety,” Schumer added.
“There is no place in this country for political violence of any kind. The perpetrator must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Golf courses—particularly, Trump’s—have long provided a trying task for Secret Service
Golf courses and Donald Trump’s properties, in particular, have been a source of concern for Secret Service officials tasked with securing the grounds while the commander in chief plays, said people familiar with the matter.
It’s typically the largest outdoors area a president can visit, and their design-ofteentimes abutting public roads and containing elements like trees and hills that can conceal would-be assassins-make them particularly difficult for the agency to secure.
Whereas other presidents move around is not a reason for the club to shut down to the public, and nearby roads do not go into lockdown.
Contingencies of agents in golf duds usually precede and follow the president in golf carts as he tees off and clears the paths in the few minutes leading up to his arrival.
Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach borders three busy highways: Kirk Road, Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue. The Palm Beach International Airport is close by.
As president, Trump often was visible from across Kirk Road when he played golf. But reporters were not allowed to stand on the sidewalks near the golf course when Trump played.
Some of the restrictions were eased after he departed office. For one thing, the public was now free to view Trump from the sidewalks on Summit Boulevard and Congress Avenue.
The Palm Beach County sheriff admitted Monday in a briefing that with Trump no longer a sitting president, the Secret Service was “limited” in its ability to fully surround the golf course.
The course to which Barack Obama went most often during his presidency sits at Joint Base Andrews and, by the nature of its location on a military base, is restricted in access both to the course itself but also its surroundings.
President Joe Biden hardly golfs.