This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Federal authorities say they have jailed a Pakistani man who is accused of working on a plot to assassinate a politician "or U.S. government officials," in an announcement that is more foreboding because of the recent attempt to shoot President Donald Trump at a Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.
That attempt, by a 20-year-old sniper who was shot and killed by police, failed. But the repercussions from the events that day already have cost the Secret Service chief her job and triggered multiple investigations into how America's elite program to protect leaders failed so badly.
The new scheme may or may not have targeted a particular individual, but a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in eastern New York explains a complaint was unsealed on Tuesday accusing Asif Merchant, aka "Asif Raza Merchant," 46, of a murder-for-hire plot.
"Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any attack could be carried out. Merchant is in federal custody in New York," authorities reported.
The plotter allegedly was trying to repay America for the killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani, a terror leader who was destroyed on the orders of Trump while he was in the White House.
U.S. Attorney Breon Peace explained, "Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of U.S. government officials on American soil. 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."
FBI chief Christopher Wray added, "This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today's charges allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook. 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."
According to case documents, federal authorities explained, "Merchant orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials 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)."
In June Merchant met with the confidential source and said his plan was for an "ongoing" series of attacks.
"Merchant then made a 'finger gun' motion with his hand, indicating that the opportunity was related to a killing. Merchant further stated that the intended victims would be 'targeted here,' meaning in the United States. Merchant instructed the CS to arrange meetings with individuals whom Merchant could hire to carry out these actions," the federal officials reported.
They also reported Merchant discussed how a person would die, and promised he would communicate from overseas in code.
Merchant also said he had discussed his agenda with a "party" overseas and he was told to "finalize" the plan and then leave the U.S.
A report at the Gateway Pundit said, "FBI investigators believe that the intended targets of the plot included Trump and other current and former U.S. government officials, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter, per CNN."
The shooter who tried to assassinate President Trump in late July, Thomas Matthew Crooks, apparently had no connection to the latest threat.
"Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream," one official told CNN. "NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump."
Frank Carillo has been charged after threatening to murder Vice President Kamala Harris and others, Just the News reported. The Virginia man used an alias to post at least 19 threats against the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate to the conservative social media platform GETTR.
Carillo began his hostile tirade against Harris after President Joe Biden stepped out of the presidential race and endorsed his vice president to take his place in the campaign. "Kamala Harris needs to be put on fire alive," he wrote, according to the affidavit.
"I will do it personally if no one else does it I want her to suffer a slow agonizing death," the post said. Carillo also said that he would stab or shoot her should she get elected president in November.
Carillo threatened other officials, including Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and FBI Director Christopher Wray. He also posted about committing violence against Muslims and illegal immigrants.
According to the New York Times, the suspect was arrested Friday and made his first court appearance Monday. If convicted, Carillo could face up to five years in prison.
Authorities say he made "4,359 posts/replies made by ‘joemadarats1’ targeting various public officials" in the course of a year. He targeted Democrats and other people like Richer, whom he believed was part of the effort to steal the 2020 presidential election from former President Donald Trump.
The FBI launched an investigation after being notified about the posts and figured out that Carillow was behind them. One of the posts said he had an AR-15 rife that was "LOCKED AND LOADED."
The FBI's search of Carillo's home turned up that model rifle and another handgun as well as several thousand rounds of ammunition. After his arrest, Carillo seemed not to grasp the gravity of his unhinged remarks.
Legal documents quoted him as saying to the FBI, "This is all over a comment, huh?" Carillo is unemployed and disabled and began posting to the account in June 2023.
If the charges are correct, Carillo was adding more fuel to the contentious and dangerous political climate. Still, the treatment of these threats further underscores the disparate way political violence is handled depending on the target.
The establishment media is covering Carillo's alleged crime with the gravity it deserves while they try to downplay the actual assassination attempt against former Trump. The GOP presidential candidate was struck in the ear with a bullet from the gun of a would-be assassin at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13, Fox News reported.
Rather than express outrage about the security failure that led to the shooting, the left-leaning publication Politico took the opportunity to compare Trump to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Because Trump used it as a moment to show strength and courage, Ruth Ben-Ghiat warned about the "danger" the incident presented, not in the wound to Trump's head but because it made him more popular.
"With that gesture, Trump tended to his personality cult, reassuring millions of his devoted followers that he had survived and was unbeaten — just as Mussolini did with his photo almost 100 years before. The danger is what comes next," Ben-Ghiat added.
Violence is never the answer to political rivalry, and people who engage in it deserve to be punished. Unfortunately, it seems the left doesn't agree with that when the target is someone they also happen to dislike.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is demanding answers after whistleblowers revealed that the "lead site agent" at the rally where former President Donald Trump was shot was "inexperienced," Breitbart reported. Hawley sent a letter Monday to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe.
On July 13, a would-be assassin fired several shots at the former president at a Butler, Pennsylvania rally. Hawley believes Rowe should answer whistleblower accusations that could point to how this could have happened.
"Whistleblowers tell me the lead site agent in charge of the Butler rally was known to be inexperienced, ineffective, and not up to the job - and on the day failed to implement basic security protocols - yet this person is STILL on active duty. Why?" Hawley captioned a copy of his letter in a post to X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday.
🚨🚨 NEW - Whistleblowers tell me the lead site agent in charge of the Butler rally was known to be inexperienced, ineffective and not up to the job - and on the day failed to implement basic security protocols - yet this person is STILL on active duty. Why? 👇 pic.twitter.com/EhfUSCvnJ0
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 6, 2024
"New whistleblower allegations to my office directly question decisions made by Secret Service’s lead site agent principally responsible for securing the July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. These allegations suggest that the lead site agent failed to implement appropriate security protocols," Hawley charged in the letter.
"This is especially alarming because, during your testimony on July 30, you stated that this agent was ‘still operational…They’re still doing protective visits," the Missouri Republican added.
If this is true, it would mean anyone under this team's protection could be in danger. "One whistleblower with direct knowledge of the event alleges to my office that this lead site agent was well-known in campaign circles as lacking competence and experience in the role," Hawley added.
"This specific allegation follows similar public reports that this agent was 'new' to the local field office and had 'relatively little experience. The whistleblower alleges that this individual was, as part of securing the site, specifically responsible for line-of-sight concerns."
Rowe was not in command at the time of the incident, but the problem is ongoing as this agent is still on the job. "I urge you to suspend the lead site agent from all Secret Service duties immediately while these claims are investigated," Hawley concluded in his letter.
Hawley outlined the specific failures that fall squarely at the feet of the lead site agent. Another whistleblower charged that the "lead site agent personally made decisions that likely compromised the overall security of the event," Hawley wrote.
"First, campaign material such as flags were permitted to be placed around the stage and catwalk used by the former president, despite the fact that these items were typically prohibited because of how they affected the line-of-sight of those agents responsible for identifying threats," Hawley said. The Secret Service also didn't properly screen personnel at the rally.
Anyone in "restricted areas of the site" is supposed to have their identification checked before credentials are issued, which did not happen. Shockingly, Homeland Security Investigations agents employed to protect Trump that day "told campaign officials that they had never staffed a rally."
Hawley is right to demand this person resign or at least be removed from protecting Trump and other dignitaries. Unfortunately, this is just one of many aspects of this situation that point to major failures that day.
The attempted assassination of the GOP candidate is the most significant failure in Secret Service history. This should have never happened to begin with, and they certainly need to make sure it won't happen again.
A Texas woman has been arrested for threatening Donald Trump, just weeks after a different lunatic tried to kill him at one of his rallies.
41-year-old Christina Montoya was caught in Washington D.C. with a Smith & Wesson pistol on Friday, as Trump met with donors hundreds of miles away in the Hamptons.
The arrest is the latest reminder of the threat of political violence, even as Democrats have returned to inflammatory rhetoric painting Trump as a threat to the country.
Metropolitan Police in Washington D.C. were tipped off by Secret Service.
They found Montoya and her Honda Accord in a residential area of the city. She had a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield pistol, gun lock as well as a magazine, according to a police report.
The woman was charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, and Threats Against a Former President.
"On Friday, August 2, 2024, at approximately 12:12 p.m., MPD received information regarding a woman who traveled to Washington, DC.
The woman’s vehicle was located in the First District and subsequent investigation lead to the woman’s location," a police press release said.
The woman reportedly began making threats on July 20, days after the assassination attempt in Butler. Trump was grazed in the ear by a bullet, and only escaped death by turning his head to look at a chart.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks killed a Trump supporter who died protecting his family, Corey Comperatore, and seriously injured two other man, James Copenhaver and David Dutch.
There has been a frustrating lack of accountability from Secret Service, which has blamed local law enforcement for the critical failures that enabled Crooks to take a clear shot from less than 200 yards.
A Florida man who lives just half an hours' drive from Trump was arrested days after the assassination attempt for making threats to kill Trump.
The FBI has yet to identify a motive for the assassination attempt on July 13, but it is clear that Trump faces a continued threat from dangerously unhinged people, many of whom have clearly been radicalized by political rhetoric.
After a brief pause in campaigning, Democrats have returned to painting Trump as an enemy of freedom and democracy while tying the assassination attempt to their gun control agenda.
An armed Texas woman was arrested for traveling to Washington D.C. to harm Donald Trump.
The suspect was caught just three miles from the White House and a mile from the Capitol, according to reports.
The arrest comes less than a month after Trump was almost killed by a sniper at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Trump was at a fundraiser in the Hamptons on Friday when a 41-year-old San Antonio woman, Christina Montoya, was arrested for threatening him.
The Metropolitan Police in D.C. shared few details about the troubling incident, but she started making threats on July 20, according to a police report, just days after Trump cheated death in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13.
Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks lived nearby in Bethel Park, about an hour's drive south of Butler. As this latest threat demonstrates, lunatics will go any distance to carry out their twisted plans.
Secret Service alerted police that Montoya, of San Antonio, was headed to Washington D.C. and she was intercepted Friday afternoon. Police found a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield pistol, a magazine and a gun lock.
"On Friday, August 2, 2024, at approximately 12:12 p.m., MPD received information regarding a woman who traveled to Washington, DC.
The woman’s vehicle was located in the First District and subsequent investigation lead to the woman’s location," MPD said in a news release.
Montoya was charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License, Possession of an Unregistered Firearm, and Threats Against a Former President.
The attempted assassination of Trump on July 13 has led to plummeting trust in Secret Service, which has been accused of covering up the circumstances that allowed Crooks to shoot at Trump and kill another man from a nearby rooftop.
Trump escaped death by turning his head just in time to look at a chart. The bullet grazed his ear, leaving him bloodied.
Trump has speculated that Democratic rhetoric painting him as a threat to democracy may have played a role in the shooting. He has credited his survival to divine intervention.
“The first one was not a good situation, not a good situation. That was really something incredible. That was from God. That was from God. Because the chances … that was from God. For all of you non-believers, that one was from God, right?” he asked at a rally last weekend.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has suffered a series of legal blows in recent months, and the latest news is yet another example.
According to The Hill, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio confirmed that he has launched an investigation into one of Smith's prosecutors.
Over the weekend, Jordan asked "the Justice Department (DOJ) to turn over all its files related to any internal review of J.P. Cooney."
News of the probe came not long after it was announced that Jordan and his powerful House committee are launching a similar investigation into the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan over her previous anti-Trump activism work in the legal profession.
Jordan and other top Republicans have been at the forefront of investigating those who worked to prosecute President Trump. He recently sent a letter demanding the files to the DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
The investigation into Cooney is reportedly related to the previous sentencing of Trump ally Roger Stone.
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan is launching an investigation into special counsel Jack Smith’s deputy on the Jan. 6 prosecution, asking the Justice Department to turn over all its files related to any internal review of J.P. Cooney. https://t.co/WeUbbh8qPR
— The Hill (@thehill) August 2, 2024
The Hill noted:
The launch of a new investigative angle from Jordan comes after the Justice Department’s office of inspector general released a report reviewing the sentencing of Trump ally Roger Stone after a whistleblower alleged potential improper political influence in reining back their suggested sentence. Stone was later pardoned by Trump.
Cooney, who at the time of Stone's sentencing was part of the fraud and public corruption section (FPC) chief, was mentioned in a review published by a watchdog group regarding political influence in certain cases.
The Hill added:
But Cooney and other prosecutors also feature in the review, with the report stressing their concerns about politicization were "not unreasonable," even as it determines Cooney’s sharing of those feelings with subordinates was "not well considered."
Jordan, in his letter, made it clear what the job of a prosecutor is -- and isn't.
"It is imperative that the Department operates with a high level of professionalism and integrity in all its prosecutions. The role of a prosecutor is to seek justice, not to advance unsupported and politically motivated conspiracy theories," Jordan wrote.
He added, "In light of serious allegations of professional misconduct levied against another one of Mr. Smith’s team of attorneys, we again write to ask what steps the Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is taking to examine these facts and uphold the Department’s commitment to fair and impartial justice."
Only time will tell where the investigation leads.
The assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, which was nearly pulled off, should have never happened. Not by a long shot.
Questions continue to be raised regarding how the 20-year-old shooter had so much intel on the Pennsylvania rally and how he managed to take a position so dangerously close to the former president, nearly killing him as intended.
According to Breitbart, the new acting director of the Secret Service was recent grilled by Congress, and some of the admissions were shocking and infuriating, to say the least.
During a Friday press conference, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe admitted that the agency failed to protect Trump at the Butler, PA rally, calling the incident an agency "failure."
Rowe made a number of shocking admissions during the presser, saying that he believes the roofline where the shooter was perched should have been better covered by the agency.
"We should have had better coverage on that roofline. We should have had at least some other set of eyes from the Secret Service point of view covering that. That building was very close to that outer perimeter. And we should have had more of a presence," Rowe said.
He added, "This was a failure. We should have had better protection for the protected."
🚨USSS🚨Acting Secret Service Director says a thorough investigation into President Trumps attempted assassination will take place.
“This was a secret service failure. That roofline should have been covered. We should have had better eyes on that,” said Ronald Rowe.
He said… pic.twitter.com/wGgQo6KlFU
— Stella Escobedo (@StellaEscoTV) August 2, 2024
Rowe was asked about video that clearly showed the shooter running across the roof of the building.
"As far as the timeline of him running back and forth, I know the FBI has provided a bit of a chronology as well. And so I’d have to go back and look at that," Rowe said. "But the bottom line is…this was a Secret Service failure. That roofline should have been covered. We should have had better eyes on that."
Many social media users and Trump supporters reacted to the acting director's admission of failure. Some doubted anyone would be ultimately held accountable.
"Sure, they are going to investigate themselves. And no one will be fired and no one will be held accountable," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "He literally was the person responsible. Not just he was in the chain of command. He literally had the yes or no on all of this. He's effectively investigating himself."
Only time will tell if there will be consequences within the agency for what happened on that day.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The federal government announced just days ago a special deal for three of the 9/11 terrorists still held in Guantanamo Bay – a proposal to cancel any plans for a trial and consideration of the death penalty for the murders of nearly 3,000 on that day of terror – and just give them life sentences in prison.
Now an investigation has been launched to find out what influence Joe Biden, or presumptive Democrat nominee Kamala Harris, had on that decision.
The White House earlier claimed they were not even aware of the move until it was announced to the public.
But a report in the Daily Mail explained House Oversight Committee chief Rep. James Comer has written to the White House: "That White House officials and you, as President and Commander in Chief, would seek to distance your Administration from this decision is understandable given how absurd it is, but it is far from believable or appropriate."
His letter came with a notification that an investigation is being opened into the Biden-Harris role in the "controversial plea deal" offered to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind of the horrific atrocities that day, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attach and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsasi.
Firefighters who lost comrades, people who lost family members and others all have condemned the leniency involved in the plan.
Comer, R-Ky., charged that there is concern over the secrecy involved in the deal, including many details not yet released.
He is requiring a copy of the plea deal, all documents between the White House and Defense Department related to it and all discussions of avoiding the death penalty by August 16, the report said.
WND reported that the substance of the deal is that the terrorists will admit responsibility for the deaths of nearly 3,000 that day, but will be given life sentences and not face the death penalty.
Fox News reported a union representing New York firefighters reports its members are "disgusted and disappointed" with the deal.
"On behalf of New York City firefighters, especially the survivors of the September 11th terrorist attack who are living with the illnesses and injuries that were inflicted upon us that day, we are disgusted and disappointed that these three terrorists were given a plea deal and allowed to escape the ultimate justice while each month three more heroes from the FDNY are dying from World Trade Center illnesses," stated Andrew Ansbro, the chief of the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association.
"9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson added, "While we acknowledge the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information. These plea deals should not perpetuate a system of closed-door agreements, where crucial information is hidden without giving the families of the victims the chance to learn the full truth."
Newsweek said the announcement "sparked fury."
"For me personally, I wanted to see a trial," said Terry Strada, head of a group of families of victims, 9/11 Families United.
"And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment."
Michael Burke, who lost family, told legacy wire service AP it "always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime."
He continued, "I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, 'Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison.'"
Sen. Mitch McConnell said the deals were a "revolting abdication of the government's responsibility to defend America and provide justice."
House Speaker Mike Johnson added, "For more than two decades, the families of those murdered by these terrorists have waited for justice. This plea deal is a slap in the face of those families. They deserved better from the Biden-Harris Administration."
The Secret Service was unaware of Donald Trump's movements on the night he walked to a historic Washington D.C. church that had been burned by left-wing rioters during the summer of 2020.
The troubling finding was included in a government report on the law enforcement response to the riots, which injured dozens of Secret Service agents.
The agency is facing a crisis of public trust after the failed assassination of Trump at a rally in July.
During the summer of 2020, political violence exploded across the nation in the wake of George Floyd's death.
On the evening of June 1, Trump famously crossed to St. John's Episcopal Church and held up a Bible in a display of solidarity with law-abiding citizens after multiple nights of violence and arson. Rioters had burned St. John's the night before.
The agency's then-director, James Murray, did not know Trump was going to walk to St. John's until Trump was crossing Pennsylvania Avenue, according to the Justice Department's Inspector General.
Murray said that he learned at 5:30 p.m. that Trump wanted to visit Lafayette Park to shake hands with police and survey fire damage.
According to Murray, 40 minutes later the plans were "scrapped." Murray did not hear about it again until Trump was walking to the church, just minutes after police cleared demonstrators out of the park.
At the time, Trump was accused of forcefully dispersing the demonstrators for a "photo op," but the clearing operation had been planned hours before to allow a tall fence to be installed.
Secret Service officials told the Justice Department's Inspector General they felt no "rush" to speed up the clearing operation because of Trump, although they were aware he wished to see the park. Nights before, Trump had been brought to a secure bunker as rioters burned the city.
Public trust in the Secret Service has plummeted after the attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in July. The agency has faced further criticism for pointing the finger at local law enforcement.
The agency's new acting director, Ronald Rowe, pledged Friday to win back the confidence of the American people.
“The bottom line is this,” he said, “this was a Secret Service failure, that roofline should have been covered, we should have had better eyes on that.”
Former President Donald Trump paid special tribute to the person who produced the chart that caused him to turn his head away from a would-be assassin's bullet, the New York Post reported. Trump called the unnamed woman a "computer genius" and invited her on stage during his rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
During a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks fired a shot likely aimed at the former president's head. However, a split-second change in the position of his head to review the chart saved the former president's life.
"I love that chart. I’m going to sleep with that chart for the rest of my life," Trump, who is the GOP presidential nominee, quipped at Wednesday's rally.
TRUMP: "This chart saved my life." 🙏 pic.twitter.com/7VrnXAoZnH
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 1, 2024
At Wednesday's event, Trump began speaking about illegal immigration and asked for the same chart showing the numbers that became his saving grace earlier this month. "You know, this chart saved my life," Trump said as the crowd cheered.
"Where is that chart? I love that chart," he added. "I’m going to sleep with that chart for the rest of my life. That chart … you know the amazing thing? You know, the people that operate the computers and all the brilliant equipment we have backstage," Trump said.
He then invited the young woman, who he credits for the chart, to come up on stage. "She’s never done this before. She saved my life in a sense," Trump said.
"I said you saved my life. Here she is. Wow," the former president added. It appeared Trump asked her if she wanted to say anything to the crowd. She shook her head no, but then Trump whispered into her ear. The woman then approached the microphone and said, "Hi."
"She’s a computer genius. She saved my life," Trump said.
It's amazing what a difference a split-second movement made for Trump. Instead of taking a kill shot to the head, Trump's ear was clipped by Crooks' bullet only because the former president turned to look at the chart at the last moment.
Aaron Cohen, veteran of the Israeli Special Operations, later explained to Fox News' Trace Gallagher exactly how close to death Trump was that day. "God must have been watching down on the president," Cohen said.
"Snipers are typically trained to shoot into the cerebral cortex of the cerebellum at the top of the brain stem. It incapacitates you, it keeps your hands from moving," Cohen explained. Crooks had an easy and direct shot, which Cohen called "a putt," but he missed it.
"It's very clear to me that had the president's head been straight, and if that round had gone into the ear, it would have been lights out. The fact that he just happened to be turned this way with that shot coming in is what saved his life," Cohen added.
It was a miracle that Trump's life was spared that day. Despite all of the security failures and the determination of one dangerous young man, Trump lived to tell the tale because he turned his head just in time.