Former President Donald Trump was reportedly briefed by top U.S. intelligence officials about serious threats from Iran to assassinate him, campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung announced in a statement obtained by NBC News Tuesday (September 25) night.
“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,” Cheung said. “Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference.”
A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed that a briefing with Trump took place but declined to give additional details. The Secret Service had already increased security around Trump after President Joe Biden‘s administration received intelligence regarding Iran’s alleged plot to assassinate the former president, which was shared publicly after Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt during his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July.
Officials confirmed that there was no sign of the Butler assassination attempt being connected to the alleged Iranian plot. The Iranian mission to the U.S. denied the assassination plot allegations, calling them “unsubstantiated and malicious,” Iranian state media reported after the Biden administration’s claims.
Trump told the Daily Mail last month that he was refusing intelligence briefings in order to avoid being accused of leaks, though it wasn’t clear whether the former president resumed regular briefings at the time of Tuesday’s statement. Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt for the second time in two months during an incident at his West Palm Beach golf course on September 15.
Ryan Routh was arrested that same day and charged Tuesday with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, added to previous charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
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