An alleged Iranian agent's assassination plot targeting Trump was possibly probed by DHS and FBI for information.

A bipartisan group of senators leading homeland security and government oversight are demanding answers from FBI Director Wray and DHS Secretary Mayorkas after an Iranian agent was charged by the DOJ for plotting to assassinate a politician or U.S. official, potentially former President Trump.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York's office announced that Pakistani national Asif Merchant was charged with attempting to commit a murder-for-hire.

""The murder-for-hire plot uncovered today, which was allegedly orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran, is a direct threat to our national security and will be met with the full resources of the FBI," said Wray in a press release."

In a joint letter to Wray and Mayorkas on Wednesday, 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., pointed out that the court documents revealed that Merchant had been planning his assassination plot since at least April 2024, when he traveled from Pakistan to Istanbul and then on to Houston, Texas, to recruit individuals to carry out his plot to assassinate U.S. government officials.

According to sources briefed on the investigation, the FBI was monitoring Merchant before he entered the U.S. and needed him to do so in order to strengthen their case and make an arrest.

According to sources, getting evidence regarding the plot would not have been possible if the merchant had been arrested at Customs.

To comprehend the FBI and DHS's knowledge of Merchant and his plot, as well as their justification for allowing him to enter the U.S., Peters, Paul, Blumenthal, and Johnson requested that the leaders of these agencies disclose when and how Merchant was first identified by the FBI, what information the bureau had at that time, and whether they shared this information with Secret Service.

The lawmakers requested information from the entities about whether the FBI sponsored Significant Public Benefit Parole (SPBP) for Merchant for "security interests." The suspect was reportedly granted entry to the U.S. through SPBP, which allows non-citizens temporary entry to the country.

The senators questioned Mayorkas and Wray about the information provided to DHS by the FBI prior to the decision to allow Merchant into the country. Specifically, they asked if the FBI had informed DHS about Merchant's assassination plot and when and how DHS officials became aware of Merchant.

The senators mentioned in their correspondence that a request 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, is still outstanding.

On July 24, a request was made in response to an assassination attempt against Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot and critically injured, leaving one spectator dead and two others wounded.

The lawmakers requested information on any steps federal law enforcement has taken to investigate any connection between the assassination plot of Merchant and the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.

The FBI acknowledged receipt of the letter to Planet Chronicle Digital but remained silent.

DHS did not provide comment to Planet Chronicle Digital in time for publication.

This report was contributed to by Louis Casiano, Bill Melugin, David Spunt, and Michael Ruiz of Planet Chronicle.