Another Iranian plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump was recently uncovered, sparking outcry from Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) during a recent appearance on Fox News's The Story with Martha MacCallum, demanding President Biden "be standing at the podium right now sending a very clear message to the Ayatollah: 'Any of this happens, and here will be the consequences."
The Associated Press reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed documents Friday relating to a thwarted "murder-for-hire" plot through an Iranian-American man named Farhad Shakeri, who was supposedly approached by an affiliate of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in September to formulate a plan within a week from initial contact.
When the week passed, the IRGC affiliate told Shakeri to wait until after the election, assuming Trump would lose and, therefore, be more accessible to kill. Shakeri remains at large and is in Iran.
Rep. Waltz posted the clip containing his comments to X (formerly Twitter), saying, "Why has Iran been trying to kill President Trump? Because they think they can get away with it. The Biden administration's weakness over the last 4 years has emboldened our adversaries THAT MUCH. We need strong assurances from Biden RIGHT NOW to deter these Iranian threats, AND he needs to provide military security to protect President Trump. This cannot wait."
Why has Iran been trying to kill President Trump? Because they think they can get away with it.
The Biden administration’s weakness over the last 4 years has emboldened our adversaries THAT MUCH.
We need strong assurances from Biden RIGHT NOW to deter these Iranian threats AND… pic.twitter.com/kHNHxVTPXf
— Rep. Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) November 8, 2024
Additionally, Rep. Waltz said within the clip that "The Ayatollah has decided that [Trump's] return is an existential threat to their control. They know President Trump will go back to maximum pressure, which, just a few years ago, had them almost bankrupt, and the Arab nations were signing peace deals with Israel on the White House lawn."
Moreover, the Florida Congressman suggested that "[The Iranians] think they can get away with it, and that is what is so disturbing. President Biden be standing at the podium right now, sending a very clear message to the Ayatollah: 'Any of this happens, and here will be the consequences. It is not worth the cost to you. We will rain holy hell down on Tehran if you interfere with our democracy and if you kill a president-elect of the United States.' But yet they think they can get away with it because they do not think there will be any consequences."
In mid-October, Waltz called for military protection of Trump in the wake of two domestic assassination attempts and the discovery of another Iranian plot conducted through Pakistani national Asif Merchant, saying, "[The Iranians] are willing to use military assets like [improvised explosive devices (IEDs), drones, or even surface-to-air missiles, then we need to give him military protective assets that only the military can provide. The Secret Service can only do so much."
