House Judiciary Committee probes DHS over entry of suspect in plot to kill Trump

The House Judiciary Committee has sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seeking answers about the leader of a plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump and other politicians and how he entered the United States. 

The committee in its request Monday expressed particular interested in how the suspect, Asif Raza Merchant, was able to enter the country and information about his immigration history. The committee also wants to know what questions were asked of Merchant during the screening process before he was allowed to enter the country. 

"During a phone call with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on August 6, the Biden-Harris Administration refused to answer many of the Committee’s questions about the assassination plot, including about Merchant’s immigration status and his method of entry into the United States," the letter reads. "Instead, DOJ directed the Committee to court documents. The limited details in the court documents, however, do not substitute for the Committee’s need for information to conduct its oversight." 

The committee's request follows reporting by Just the News that Merchant was released into the United States in April with special permission known as “significant public benefit parole” even though he was flagged on a terrorism watchlist and recently traveled to Iran.

Based on the government documents reviewed by Just the News, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force interviewed Merchant, fingerprinted him and inspected the contents of his electronic devices when he arrived at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport, in Houston, but then let him leave with the special parole, which expired on May 11.  

Merchant wasn't arrested until July 12, after a confidential human source ascertained he had tried to line up assassins and was planning to leave the United States, the FBI said.