WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The US Secret Service is being pushed to its limits as it provides heightened security to an increasing number of protectees and was tasked with ensuring the safety of more than 140 world leaders during the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, a senior US official briefed on the planning told Sputnik.
Earlier on Saturday, Trump claimed during a campaign rally in Wisconsin that he had to downsize the venue for his event because the Biden administration couldn’t provide enough US Secret Service agents necessary for a bigger venue as they were «guarding the Iranian president who’s looking to kill Trump.»
«The agency was never configured to provide such an elevated level of protection for an increasing number of protectees,» the official said on Saturday in response to Trump’s comment. «Our personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo. This proposed Wisconsin event also took place during the United Nations General Assembly, where the Secret Service is responsible for the safety and security of over 140 world leaders amid a challenged global threat level.»
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media, added that the US Secret Service needed a paradigm shift that would also position the agency to enhance its operational readiness to reduce reliance on external partners when providing heightened protection.
This past week, Congress passed legislation to strengthen Secret Service protection for US presidential candidates, which would provide Trump and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris the same level of protection provided to President Joe Biden. The bill heads to Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
US Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement to Sputnik that Trump was receiving heightened levels of US Secret Service protection and their top priority was mitigating risks to ensure his continued safety at all times.
US intelligence officials recently notified Trump that threats from Iran against his life had heightened in the past few months, and US law enforcement officials across all agencies were working to ensure the former US president was protected.
«Big threats on my life by Iran,» Trump said in a statement on Tuesday. «The entire US Military is watching and waiting. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again. Not a good situation for anyone. I am surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than I have ever seen before.»
There have been two assassination attempts on Trump since July but there has been no evidence disclosed publicly linking these events to Iran. The second attempt was allegedly by a fanatical supporter of the Kiev regime.
