President Trump pulled security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide, Brian Hook, both of whom have faced threats from Iran amid their hard-line positions toward the Islamic Republic, multiple outlets reported on Thursday.
The security details for both Pompeo and Hook, that were provided by the State Department, were pulled on Tuesday, a day after Trump was formally inaugurated, The New York Times reported, citing one source familiar with the matter.
Both men were notified that the security details were revoked on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported, citing a congressional staffer and another person familiar with the matter.
“When you have protection, you can’t have it for the rest of your life,” Trump told reporters Thursday in the Oval Office while signing executive orders. “Do you want to have a large detail of people guarding people for the rest of their lives? There’s risks to everything.”
Trump announced in November last year that Pompeo would not be joining the administration despite the former CIA director expressing openness to serving in a post. Just months earlier, in August, Pompeo along with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) co-headlined a fundraiser for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
This week, Trump also ended Secret Service protection for his former national security adviser John Bolton who has also faced assassination threats from Iran due to his hawkish stance toward the country’s leadership.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has decided to terminate the protection previously provided by the United States Secret Service,” Bolton, now a vocal Trump critic, told The Hill on Tuesday.
The president outlined later on Tuesday why he decided to revoke Bolton’s security detail.
“I think there was enough time. We take a job, you take a job, you want to do a job, we’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives,” Trump told reporters. “Why should we?”
Trump said on Tuesday that he fired Hook from the Wilson Center, along with three other high-profile presidential appointees. Hook served during Trump’s first White House term and is an Iran hawk who backed sanctions the administration put on Iran.
The Biden administration has given and renewed protection for both Pompeo and Hook since early 2021, with them giving the last authorization on Oct. 21, the AP reported.
The Hill has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.
