Trump Voters Believe Assassination Conspiracy
NewsweekJul 22
FBI Charges Pakistani Man with Political Assassination Plot
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Above: Federal law enforcement officers patrol the grounds of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Michael M. Santiago/ Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The Justice Department has charged Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national, in an alleged "murder-for-hire" plot in New York to assassinate "a US politician or government officials on US soil," including potentially former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump.
According to the FBI, after spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the US from Pakistan in April. Court documents unsealed Tuesday don't claim he was acting on behalf of Iran but mention that he reportedly told investigators he has a wife and children in Iran and "indicated an affinity for Iran."
The Spin
Anti-Iran narrative
Merchant's foiled assassination plot is straight out of the Iranian playbook. It's evident that his modus operandi is similar to the Iranian government's policy of prosecuting its enemies on foreign soil. His criminal intent and approach are consistent with the actions of those who carry out high-profile assassinations on behalf of an American adversary. The US will outwit all attempts by an authoritarian regime to jeopardize the country's national security.
Pro-Iran narrative
These are baseless, inaccurate, and irresponsible charges. The court filings neither reveal Merchant's specific "targets" nor mention Trump or Iran. Yet, the FBI is quick to attribute the fabricated threats to American public officials to Tehran to evade responsibility for its failure to protect the country's presidential nominee from a would-be assassin's bullet. There's no evidence against Merchant; Iran must counter the US' brazen and unrelenting efforts to berate its people.
