Trump’s hawkish foreign policy advisers in his first term are facing allegations of assassination threats from Iran.
US President Donald Trump has canceled security measures for Mike Pompeo, Brian Hook and John Bolton, all of whom served as hawkish foreign policy advisers during his first term.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that President Trump had withdrawn security protection for former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo.
President Trump’s order took effect at 11pm ET on Wednesday (04:00 GMT on Thursday), stripping Pompeo and his former top aide, Hook, of their security details, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter.
This follows previous reports that Trump did the same to his former national security adviser, Bolton. Bolton confirmed the news in a statement to CNN on Tuesday, saying he was “disappointed but not surprised.”
President Trump later defended the decision, calling Bolton “a very stupid person.”
“We will not be able to maintain security for people for the rest of our lives. Why should I do that?” Trump said.
But critics note that Bolton, Pompeo and Hook have all faced allegations of assassination threats from Iran.
All three leaders have taken a hard line against Iran throughout their foreign policy careers. Some analysts have speculated that President Trump’s decision to cancel his security detail may have been a form of retaliation for disloyalty.
An official from 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 “highly irresponsible.”
Bolton has irritated Trump with public criticism since he was fired as national security adviser in 2019. He served under former Republican presidents, including George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
Bolton wrote harshly about Trump’s leadership in his memoir. “There is a mountain of evidence that Trump is unfit to be president,” Bolton said.
Meanwhile, Pompeo has briefly flirted with a possible 2024 presidential run, albeit with less criticism, but his hopes have been tempered by low poll numbers. He also campaigned on Trump’s behalf in 2024.
During Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, Pompeo and Hook were the architects of America’s “maximum pressure” stance on Iran.
That period was marked by the United States withdrawing details limiting Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for easing destructive sanctions on Iran.
It is unclear whether Trump will pursue a similar strategy in his second term.
But some experts have speculated that Trump’s inner circle has become more critical of the interventionist and dogmatic positions advocated by figures like Bolton and Pompeo.
Trump said Pompeo would not have any role in his administration. This week he also announced on social media that Hook had been fired from his position as president of the Wilson Center, a think tank.
Dozens of former intelligence officials who signed a letter saying there were signs of a “Russian intelligence operation” in the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop scandal also had their security clearances revoked in recent days.
