Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) shared new details on Thursday regarding the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump during a Pennsylvania campaign rally last Saturday. The Republican representative highlighted the shooter’s “three encrypted accounts overseas” and warned of an “Iranian plot” to assassinate the former president.
The Daily Mail reported that Waltz suggested during an interview on “Jesse Waters Primetime” on Thursday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is currently working to gain access to three encrypted accounts of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crook. The Florida congressman, who has been in contact with FBI agents as the investigation process continues, claimed that the three encrypted accounts are based overseas.
“The shooter had three encrypted accounts overseas,” Waltz said. “At the same time we’re having an Iranian plot.”
The Republican representative added, “I think this is going to go much broader, much deeper… We’re going to get to the bottom of this beginning Monday.”
According to The Daily Mail, Waltz also claimed that agents wanted “to hold” U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle “to account” over the agency’s failure to protect the former president. He added that agents were “frustrated” and “p-ssed” at the lack of resources they were provided by the agency.
READ MORE: Whistleblowers say ‘most’ of Trump’s security were not Secret Service, GOP Rep says
The Daily Mail reported that while Cheatle has faced pressure to step down from her leadership role in the aftermath of the massive security breach that led to Saturday’s tragic assassination attempt, Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, noted that Cheatle had “no intentions to step down” and emphasized the importance of leadership “continuity.”
“She deeply respects members of Congress and is fiercely committed to transparency in leading the Secret Service through the internal investigation and strengthening the agency through lessons learned in these important internal and external reviews,” Guglielmi said.
According to The Daily Mail, Adrienne Watson, a U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman, addressed speculation regarding reports of an “Iranian plot” to assassinate Trump in a statement on Tuesday.
Watson stated, “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.”
Watson explained that while the investigation into the assassination attempt against the former president remained “active and ongoing,” “At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic.”
According to ABC News, Nasser Kanaani, an Iran Foreign Ministry spokesperson, also issued a statement, saying that Iran “strongly rejects any involvement in the recent armed attack on Trump or claims about Iran’s intention for such an action.”
