Secret Service added security measures for Trump before assassination attempt

The Secret Service "surged resources and assets" to protect former President Donald Trump before Saturday's assassination attempt, it has been revealed, due to increased intelligence chatter.

There is no indication that the threat referred to by the National Security Council was that of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who allegedly fired several shots at Trump during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, killing a bystander in the process.

Instead, the threat appears to be tied to Iran's desire to "seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani," the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer who was killed in a drone strike in 2020.

The National Security Council explained that it learned of an "increased threat" against the former president and contacted the Secret Service, which then shared it with the head of Trump's detail.

"In response, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump," a U.S. national security official told the Washington Examiner.

NSC spokeswoman Adrienne Watson explained that investigators have not found any ties between Crooks and any accomplices or co-conspirators, foreign or domestic.

Instead, she said "additional measures" have been "implemented in recent weeks" due to the "increased threat" but declined to specify what those were.

"We have repeatedly met at the highest levels of our government to develop and implement a comprehensive response to these threats," she added. "As part of that comprehensive response, we have invested extraordinary resources in developing additional information about these threats, disrupting individuals involved in these threats, enhancing the protective arrangements of potential targets of these threats, engaging with foreign partners, and directly warning Iran."

The details of the intelligence remain vague, though it raises further questions about the Secret Service's performance at the rally.

In spite of the added resources, Crooks was able to scale a nearby building with a rifle and fire multiple shots at the former president, killing one spectator, Corey Comperatore, and severely injuring two others before countersnipers shot and killed him.

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Anthony Guglielmi, Secret Service chief of communication, told the Washington Examiner, “The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources, as needed. We cannot comment on any specific threat stream other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly.”

Several witnesses spotted Crooks as he scaled the building and attempted to notify law enforcement.