U.S. intelligence agencies say they are tracking Iranian threat against Trump, separate from PA shooting

In the weeks before the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, U.S. intelligence agencies were tracking a separate plot by Iran to kill Trump, according to a report from The New York Times .

Ahead of the shooting on Saturday at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, this intelligence reportedly led the Secret Service to amp up security for Trump. Officials say they have not found ties between Saturday’s shooting and the Iranian plot.

Since Saturday’s shootings, there have been calls for Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle to resign in the wake of what Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas called “a failure” in an interview with CNN . Officials are conducting a review of what happened that resulted in an injury to Trump, the death of former fire chief Corey Comperatore and injuries to two others.

“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, to The New York Times . “These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassim Suleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”

The Trump campaign was reportedly told about the threat “not long before Saturday’s shooting.”

Intelligence reports: Iran is trying to influence U.S. elections

The report of the Iranian plot to target Trump comes after a statement from director of National Intelligence Avril Haines that was issued on July 9 about Iran’s attempts to influence U.S. elections.

“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in the past, including in prior election cycles,” said Haines. “They continue to adapt their cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms and issuing threats.”

Haines said Iranian government actors “have sought to opportunistically take advantage of ongoing protests regarding the war in Gaza.” This is different than Americans participating in rallies in good faith, he said.

“We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters,” said Haines, adding freedom to experience different views is important. “But it is also important to warn of foreign actors who seek to exploit our debate for their own purposes.”