Donald Trump's campaign asked for military aircraft and vehicles to transport the former president during the final weeks of the presidential race.
Campaign manager Susie Wiles sent emails over the past two weeks to Secret Service acting director Ronald L. Rowe Jr. expressing displeasure with the agency and complaining that security concerns for the GOP nominee had hindered his campaign schedule, and campaign officials and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL) asked the agency to provide military aircraft or additional protection for his private plane, reported the Washington Post.
"The requests are extraordinary and unprecedented — no nominee in recent history has been ferried around in military planes ahead of an election," the Post reported. "But the requests came after Trump’s campaign advisers received briefings in which the government said Iran is still actively plotting to kill him, according to the emails reviewed by the Post and the people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions."
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"Trump advisers have grown concerned about drones and missiles, according to the people," the paper added.
Secret Service officials wouldn't answer specific questions about their discussions with the Trump campaign, but a spokesman said the former president was receiving “the highest levels of protection," with some assistance from the Department of Defense, including explosive ordnance disposal, canine units and airlift transportation.
The Secret Service is also imposing temporary flight restrictions “over the former president’s residence and when he travels,” said agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. “Additionally, the former president is receiving the highest level of technical security assets which include unmanned aerial vehicles, counter unmanned aerial surveillance systems, ballistics and other advanced technology systems.”
Former government officials told the Post they were unaware of any presidential nominee receiving a military jet, and one veteran of multiple GOP administrations said it would be “extraordinary” for the Secret Service to grant such a request.
Kamala Harris receives protection from the U.S. Marines in her role as vice president and flies on Air Force Two, which is a military airplane.
Trump has already been traveling with additional planes, and sometimes in a nondescript aircraft instead of his 757 jet with his name on the side, after two apparent assassination attempts since July, and his team has feuded with the Secret Service over security lapses that allowed a gunman to fire shots at the GOP candidate.
There's no evidence tying Iran, which has made no secret of its desire to kill Trump, to either attempt, but the Post noted that a military jet or other transport would provide the former president with a striking visual in the campaign's final weeks.
"If the administration granted such assets," the newspaper said, "it would give Trump a distinct look in the final months that no challenger has ever had — and would remind voters visually, every day, that he is under threat."