Milwaukee City Wire

On Wednesday, U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, along with Senators Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray. The letter requests information regarding a foiled plot to assassinate U.S. government officials.

Following the senators’ initial July 24, 2024 requests, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with ties to Iran. The DOJ alleges that Merchant "orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on U.S. soil." Public reports indicate this may have included former President Trump. The FBI was reportedly aware of Merchant before he arrived in the U.S., sponsoring his immigration parole for “security interests.”

The senators are seeking information to understand the extent of FBI’s and DHS’s awareness of Merchant and his plot, as well as whether and how intelligence on any election security threats was disseminated to relevant agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, and related security decisions.

Further details about the senators’ August 14, 2024 letter can be found in Fox News.

Full text of the letter is available here.

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