FIRST ON FOX: A group of leading bipartisan senators conducting oversight of homeland security and governmental matters are demanding answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas after an alleged Iranian agent was charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for orchestrating a scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. official — potentially former President Trump.
Pakistani national Asif Merchant was charged with seeking to carry out a murder-for-hire, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York's office said earlier this month.
"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," Wray said in the press release. "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."
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In a joint letter to Wray and Mayorkas on Wednesday, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., Ranking Member Rand Paul, R-Ky., Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Ranking Member Ron Johnson, R-Wis., noted that the court documents detailed Merchant had been "orchestrating his assassination plot since at least April 2024 when he ‘flew from Pakistan to Istanbul and then on to Houston, Texas on or about April 13, 2024, to recruit individuals to carry out his plot to assassinate U.S. government officials."
The senators pointed to a Fox News Digital report citing multiple federal law enforcement sources briefed on the investigation, who claimed that the FBI was watching Merchant before he entered the U.S. According to those sources, the bureau needed him to enter the country in order to cement their case and arrest him.
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Arresting Merchant at Customs would not have allowed agents to get the evidence necessary regarding the plot, per the sources.
"In light of this new information and to understand the extent of FBI’s and DHS’s awareness of Merchant and his plot, including the justification to allow him to enter the U.S.," Peters, Paul, Blumenthal, and Johnson asked that the FBI and DHS leaders provide answers on when and how the Pakistani national became known to the FBI, what the bureau knew at that time, and if they shared the information with Secret Service.
The lawmakers further asked the entities for information on whether the FBI sponsored Significant Public Benefit Parole (SPBP) for Merchant for "security interests." The suspect was allegedly allowed entry through SPBP, which grants non-citizens entry to the U.S. on a temporary basis.
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They additionally questioned Mayorkas and Wray on the information provided to DHS by the FBI prior to the decision to allow Merchant into the country. "Did FBI inform DHS about Merchant’s assassination plot? When and how did DHS officials become aware of Merchant?" the senators questioned.
In their correspondence, the senators noted that a request made last month is still outstanding for "documents and information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including any intelligence regarding a series of enumerated threats known or being investigated in advance of the July 13, 2024 rally," where Trump survived an assassination attempt.
The initial request on July 24 came in response to an attempted assassination against Trump at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooting wounded the former president's ear, leaving him bloodied, and killed one spectator as well as critically injuring two others.
"Please explain what, if any, steps federal law enforcement has taken to investigate any connection between Merchant’s assassination plot and the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump," the lawmakers requested in the latest letter.
The FBI confirmed receipt of the letter to Fox News Digital, but declined to comment.
DHS did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.
Fox News' Louis Casiano, Bill Melugin, David Spunt and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
