Federal law enforcement got poked in the eye again as we learned that a Pakistani national was arrested for plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. Asif Raza Merchant, 46, who had ties to Iran, was cobbling together a conspiracy to eliminate Trump. The men he tried to hire for this scheme were undercover FBI agents. Merchant was arrested on July 12, one day before Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to assassinate Trump at his Pennsylvania rally (via DOJ):
This would be assassin was arrested on July 12. The assassination attempt of Donald Trump by another individual happened the next day. In other words, the Secret Service would have been on heightened notice, making the failures of July 13th even more mind-boggling. https://t.co/IueVi564gP
— Kerri Urbahn (@Kerri_Kupec) August 6, 2024
NEW: DOJ announces it has charged a Pakistani national w/ ties to Iran in a plot to assassinate current & former US government officials on US soil in retaliation for the Soleimani killing. DOJ says Asif Merchant flew to the US in April after spending time in Iran, then traveled… pic.twitter.com/Hjp0L90BVT
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 6, 2024
WOW. Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national was arrested for attempting to hire a hitman for planned ass*ss*nat*on against President Trump. pic.twitter.com/2dckcGDVEO
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) August 6, 2024
For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security.”
“This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI.”
“The complaint unsealed today underscores, yet again, that those who engage in lethal plotting on U.S. soil will face the full force of the American justice system,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The targeting of former and current officials by foreign actors is an affront to our sovereignty and our democratic institutions and the Department of Justice will use every possible tool to expose and disrupt this egregious activity.”
“Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of U.S. government officials on American soil,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “This prosecution demonstrates that this office and the entire Department of Justice will take swift and decisive action to protect our nation’s security, our government officials and our citizens from foreign threats
“Fortunately, the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were undercover FBI Agents,” said Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis of the FBI New York Field Office. “This case underscores the dedication and formidable efforts of our agents, analysts and prosecutors in New York, Houston, and Dallas. Their success in neutralizing this threat not only prevented a tragic outcome but also reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to protecting our nation and its citizens from both domestic and international threats.”
According to allegations contained in the complaint and related publicly filed court documents, Merchant orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government official on U.S. soil. In approximately April 2024, after spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme. That person reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source (the CS).
That’s why Trump was reportedly given extra security, though the Secret Service later admitted denying other requests for additional resources. And yet, Trump still got shot and was nearly killed in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The Secret Service had to have known about this arrest, which some, like Kerri Urbahn, commented made the butler rally failures more “mind-boggling.” Urbahn is Fox News’ legal editor and former director of public affairs at the Justice Department.
It's just another addition to this layer cake of incompetence and negligence that almost killed a former president. The rooftop of the American Glass Research building is left unprotected, the Secret Service does not have access to the radio system, IDs are allegedly not checked for access to the restricted area, and lead agents are unqualified to run point for this event. A host of other flaws make for one massive fiasco for which we have yet to hear any satisfying answers.
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