Live updates: Donald Trump shot in apparent assassination attempt; gunman killed
CNBCJul 18
US Authorities: Iran Allegedly Plotting Separate Threat to Trump
Above: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines (R) and Director of Defense Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse (L) testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 2, 2024 in Washington, DC. Image copyright: Win McNamee/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The US government, including the White House, has been on increased alert in recent weeks of an alleged Iranian threat against former Pres. Donald Trump, according to a national security official. The official says that the threat is unrelated to the July 13 assassination attempt.
Iran denied the accusation, saying that it doesn't want Trump killed but rather "punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General [Qasem] Soleimani," who was killed by a US drone strike in January 2020.
The Spin
Anti-Iran narrative
While Iran may not have been behind Saturday's assassination attempt, its dangerous regime should be on Washington's radar with respect to potential future plots. Not only was there credible intelligence on threats to Trump's life, but former Trump foreign policy advisors Mike Pompeo and John Bolton have been given 24/7 security due to threats from Tehran.
Pro-Iran narrative
Even though Washington itself admits Iran wasn't behind the assassination attempt, the US government is still taking advantage of the event to try and smear Tehran. Despite the Iranian government having watched one of its generals be murdered by the US, it has merely called for legal punishment of American crimes, not assassinations.
Cynical narrative
The recent assassination attempt was due solely to the Secret Service's abject failures on the ground. The questions that now need answering are why the agency didn't initially secure the rooftop from which the shots were fired, how an armed 20-year-old was able to sneak onto that roof, and why they didn't respond to reports of an armed man on the roof minutes before shots were fired. The US security apparatus would be better served by answering these questions rather than pointing to nebulous plots by foreign actors.