Concerns over former President Donald Trump’s personal security have intensified amid mixed signals from the Biden administration on supporting Israel and managing the U.S. border. The issue has been exacerbated by evidence suggesting that potential terrorists may have entered the U.S. through the open border.
A key member of the new bipartisan House task force investigating the July 13 attempted assassination of Trump reported that threats against the GOP presidential nominee have escalated. This increase in threats is linked to rising fears of a Middle East conflict and ongoing open border policies under President Joe Biden.
“I think that the thing that has me so alarmed is as Biden’s lack of leadership and mismanagement makes the Middle East situation worse, I think the sad irony is it gets even more dangerous for the former president,” Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) said, per the Washington Examiner. “Israel unleashes on Iran over the next week, and our border is wide open, that’s even more of a dangerous situation for the former president. And you seem to have a Secret Service and a DHS leadership that’s in a kind of agency protection mode, rather than accountability and reform mode. And that has me very, very concerned,” Waltz added.
Iran and anti-American terrorist groups have issued threats against former President Trump and others in recent years. These threats intensified following the 2020 assassination of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by Trump’s administration, with threats subsequently extending to his top aides. After would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Trump and struck three attendees during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last month, killing one, the FBI issued warnings about potential follow-up attacks.
“I don’t think we’ve ever faced a level of foreign threats targeting a former president like what he’s facing. The Iranians are serious, and when the FBI goes public with an Iranian operative that transited Venezuela into our country and recruiting assassins, they’re serious about taking him out,” Waltz said, per the Examiner. He added that the Secret Service has mistakenly handled Trump like a typical former president, not one who is also the Republican Party’s nominee in need of added security.
“His core [security] detail has been begging for more assets for years. And what they told me was that he was treated, you know, the bureaucracy budgeted him as a former president. The formula for former presidents, whether you’re Jimmy Carter or Donald Trump, and that’s it,” Waltz said.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.