Trump removes security of Mike Pompeo, John Bolton. donald trump news
Hawkish foreign policy advisers in Trump’s first term as president have faced alleged assassination threats from Iran.
United States President Donald Trump has revoked the security protection of Mike Pompeo, Brian Hook and John Bolton, the flamboyant foreign policy advisers who served during his first term in office.
The New York Times on Thursday published the news of Trump canceling the security of former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Pompeo.
Trump’s order took effect at 11 p.m. Eastern time (04:00 GMT, Thursday), according to unnamed sources familiar with the matter, stripping both Pompeo and former top aide Hook of their security details.
This follows earlier reports that Trump had done the same for Bolton, his former national security adviser. Bolton confirmed the news to CNN with a statement on Tuesday: “I’m disappointed but not surprised.”
Trump has since defended that decision, calling Bolton a “very foolish man.”
“We are not going to provide security to people for the rest of their lives. Why should we do that?” Trump said.
But critics say Bolton, Pompeo and Hooks have all faced alleged assassination threats from Iran.
All three leaders had taken a tough stance against Iran throughout their foreign policy careers. Some analysts have speculated whether Trump’s decision to cancel his security detail may have been a form of retaliation for alleged disloyalty.
An official with former President Joe Biden’s administration confirmed to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity that Trump’s team was well aware of the threats against the three men.
The person called Trump’s decision “extremely irresponsible.”
Bolton had upset Trump with his public criticism after he was removed from the post of national security adviser in 2019. He served under previous Republican presidents, including George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
Bolton has written harshly about Trump’s leadership in his memoir. “A set of facts demonstrate that Trump is unfit to be president,” Bolton said.
Pompeo, meanwhile, has been less vocal in his criticisms, but he did briefly touch on a possible run in the 2024 presidential election, before his hopes were dashed by low polling numbers. He went on to campaign on behalf of Trump in 2024.
During Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, Pompeo and Hook were the architects of the US “maximum pressure” stance towards Iran.
That period was marked by the U.S.’s withdrawal from the U.S. extension of limiting Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from devastating U.S. sanctions.
It is unclear whether Trump will adopt a similar strategy during his second term.
But some experts have speculated that members of Trump’s inner circle have become more critical of the interventionist, assertive stance advocated by people like Bolton and Pompeo.
Trump had said that Pompeo would not play any role in his administration. This week, he also announced on social media that Hooks had been fired from his presidentially appointed position at the Wilson Center, a think tank.
Dozens of former intelligence officers who signed a letter in 2020 saying there were signs of a “Russian information operation” in the Hunter Biden laptop scandal also had their security clearances revoked in recent days.
