House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH) said over the weekend that the Biden-Harris administration has taken no action after the Islamic Republic of Iran initiated a plan to assassinate Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Turner, who made the remarks during a Sunday interview on CBS News’ “Face The Nation” with Margaret Brennan, demanded that the administration show a spine by responding to what amounts to an “act of war.”
Brennan noted that Iran is actively working to influence the outcome of the election by having hacked the Trump Campaign, engaging in online disinformation campaigns, and actively working on carrying out plots to assassinate the former president.
“I think what’s missing here is a response from the administration,” Turner said. “You have Microsoft coming forward and saying that the Trump campaign had been hacked. The administration, the Biden administration, had identified that Iran was attempting to do this, including spinning misinformation.”
“But, even further, the administration has acknowledged that Iran had – was executing a plan to assassinate Donald Trump, even alleging that an individual they have in possession was part of that plot,” he continued. “Yet you don’t really have a response from the administration. Most national security experts resoundingly agree that killing a presidential candidate would be an act of war from a foreign power. Well, certainly, attempting … does at least require a response.”
“And, in this, the administration is – both on the hacking side, on the misinformation side, and on the alleged attempt on Donald Trump’s life, is not holding Iran accountable,” he said, adding that the Biden-Harris administration have drawn “no red lines” with Iran.
“This is not a law enforcement issue, right? This is not a law enforcement issue,” Turner said in response to the individual who was carrying out the assassination plot being arrested. “This is a nation-state that the administration has identified as having executed a plot to try to assassinate Donald Trump and is undertaking misinformation, election interference including hacking.”
“This requires a response to the administration,” he said.
Turner, who has access to classified intelligence about what the U.S. is doing on matters like this, said that the administration has given no response to deter further aggression from Iran.
“You have to start with a statement by the administration. And then also you could go to, there need to be statements of red lines and understanding of what actions would occur,” he said. “And then there does need to be action. I think the administration needs to look at what is their response going to be, now that they’re openly saying that they have in custody an individual they allege was part of an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump.”
WATCH:
House Intelligence Chair @RepMikeTurner calls for the Biden administration to issue clear “red lines” on Iran’s actions, after its alleged interference in the 2024 election and a plot to kill Donald Trump, which led to the arrest of a Pakistani national: “This is not a law… pic.twitter.com/OxK7M5CBQ3
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 18, 2024
