Thread by @brett_mcgurk

Trump has built this alleged threat to our ambassador in South Africa into his tweets and rally speeches. He says any such attack “will be met with an attack on Iran that will be 1,000 times greater in magnitude!” politico.com/news/2020/09/1…

But these reports came from leaked intel. Unlike intel leaked about Russia placing bounties on US troops: NOBODY in the WH has said people must “go to jail” over the Iran leak. Nor did Trump simply dismiss it as a hoax. Why? What’s the difference?

Now South Africa is out with a statement that it has seen the information and deems it “not sufficient to sustain the allegation that there is a credible threat” against our ambassador.👇

To be sure, we may not have shared all we have with SA. And I’m for any president acting urgently when credible information shows a threat against Americans—whether from Iran, Russia, or a virus. That’s part of the job. So why are these situations treated totally differently?

Russia: For what seems to be a credible threat against US troops (Pompeo raised it with Lavrov) the WH launches a criminal investigation against the leak, Trump says it’s all a hoax, and he NEVER raises the issue over six calls with Putin.

Iran: Within hours of news reports about a threat, Trump tweets about it, builds it into his rally speeches, and threatens a massive response if an attack is carried out. There is no call from anywhere to investigate the leak. Trump seems to flaunt it.

Presidents should be committed to protecting the American people and our country from all threats. Russia for whatever reason seems to enjoy impunity. The treatment of threat information from Iran and Russia is a microcosm of this larger problem.