Dan Mitchinson: US correspondent on threats from Iran inspiring increased security around Donald Trump in recent weeks

US officials have confirmed threats from Iran to assassinate Donald Trump had prompted increased security around him in recent weeks.

It appears unrelated to the assassination attempt in Pennsylvania over the weekend.

However, this has raised questions surrounding the apparent lapses that led to the shooter getting close enough to fire at Trump in the first place.

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the incident left behind plenty of unresolved questions.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And US correspondent Dan Mitchenson is with us this evening.
Killed to Dan Hi Jack. So let's start off with
news out of the US today that Iran had apparently
been plotting to kill Donald Trump, and concerns over that
plot prompted the Secret Service to boost his protection.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Yeah, this has really been interesting that it started with
a report from CNN that they they being authorities over
here in the US, got this intelligence briefing from a source,
and they had this for a number of weeks apparently,
And so, as you mentioned, the Secret Service boosted their
security around the president. As for the shooter, though, whose

(00:39):
name we now know, Thomas Matthew Crooks, there's no trail
that has led the Secret Service to think that he
was connected to the plot. That being said, all this
information that we're still getting right now doesn't answer the
questions about the security lapse at that rally in Pennsylvania,
how Crooks managed to access that rooftop that was just
a few hundred yards away that you know, was able

(00:59):
to launch the show that injured former President Trump.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
You know, it is actually amazing how little information has
come out about his background and his motive over the
last couple of days, don't you think. I mean, I
mean everyone immediately said, you know, this is political violence,
and I think there was a general assumption that the
assassin or attempted assassin might have been an opponent of

(01:22):
Donald Trump's but really we actually have nothing to base
that on at the moment.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
No, no, we don't. I think we're so used to
getting information so quickly, especially with the digital footprint, as
they like to say that everybody leaves behind these days,
but we really don't. Just like, we're not getting much
information right now on this threat from Iran. I mean
they're saying, you know, we don't comment on the president's
security detail. All the questions should be directed to the
US Secret Service. And then as for the shooter. When

(01:49):
this first happened, they said it could be weeks, months
or even longer before we learn a lot about this
twenty year old And right now we know very little
about him except that he was registered as Republican and
that he had given just a few dollars to two
Democrats in the past.

Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, it sort of seems as likely as anything that
this was just a really troubled young man looking to
make a splash, rather than anything that was explicitly politically motivated,
which might distinguish him from some other assassination attempts in
the past. That being said, though, Dan just be totally
clear that there is no suggestion from the reports or
the authorities at this stage that the attempt at assassination

(02:27):
was linked to Iran.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
No, no, not not at this point. This is just
just early early days. As they like to say, this
is just intelligence that they're kind of leaking out to
the press, I think, But there is there is not
a name that's associated with this that's not, you know,
one group or is it the country as a whole.
I mean, this could this could be disproved just as

(02:50):
easily as it was released to the press this time tomorrow.
But we you know, and that's a frustrating thing. You
get a little teased of something and you want to
know more information because everybody's curious about it.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
And now Dan singer Ingrid Andres was performing at Major
League Baseball's home run derby last night and she was
doing the national anthem, as we know, the stars and
Stripes is starspangle banner is a very difficult anthem to sing,
a whole lot more difficult than New Zealand's version. I
think you have to traverse one and a half octaves,

(03:21):
but she did not do a good job. Let's have
a quick listens. I don't think we want to play

(03:46):
that too much. Dan, we'll have no listeners left. But
actually there is an explanation, and truthfully it's a sad explanation.
It is.

Speaker 2 (03:54):
It is because the first thing when you woke up
today was, apart from next to the VP choice by
Donald tr and the aftermath of this weekend shooting was this,
And I mean everybody started making jokes about it and
comparing it to rose Anne Barr, who sung the national
anthem and was booed when she did that for the
Padres years ago. But then we learned that she's been

(04:15):
battling a problem, and she said that on social media.
She said, I'm checking myself into a facility today to
gelp the help that I needed. She said, I was drunk.
This was not me last night. I apologized to Major
League Baseball and the fans and the country that I
love so much for this rendition. Excuse me. And she's
the daughter of a former Major League strengthen and coordinating

(04:36):
coach who worked for the Tigers and the Rockies and
a few other teams. And in all fairness, like you said,
that song is challenging even at the best of times
by the best of singers. And when you've had too
much to drink, I mean, you don't even want to
go there.

Speaker 1 (04:50):
Yeah, yeah, you really don't. I don't want to go
there one I haven't drink. It's actually really interesting if
you watch, you know, international sporting games, you watch the
anthem being performed. Often unlike the countries, you see people
not singing. They've just got the hand over their heart.
And there's good reason for that. Hey, Donald Trump assassination
attempt memorabilia has hit eBay Dan.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Yeah, and this is this is something you really wish
that people wouldn't do. But you're finding all these kind
of things popping up newspaper front page ads, wristbands that
were used by people who were there, aerial shots of
the land that you saw on a lot of the
networks as soon as this happened, t shirts and mugs
and wal art featuring the moment that mister Trump raised

(05:31):
his fist. And people are making some money off this.
I mean, there was one guy that talked to Newsweek
over here and he said, I decided to auction a
lot of the memorabilia that I had because I want
the money to go for a family vacation as a
thirty eight year old guy. And a lot of the
sellers are saying, hey, I'm really pleased with the price
of the items that I'm getting on here, and this

(05:52):
is a piece of history, and you know, I have
every right to sell it online and it's it's a
curiosity factor, I guess.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah. Thank you so much, Jan, appreciate your time as ever.
US correspondent Dan Mitchison. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive,
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