President Donald Trump reportedly stripped security protection for two former top staffers who face ongoing threats from Iran.
The New York Times reported Thursday Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and a former top aide, Brian Hook, had their protection revoked. The report acknowledges the men face threats from Iran “because of actions they took on Mr. Trump’s behalf,” citing four people with knowledge.
It previously reported John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, had his protection removed.
From the latest report:
Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook had been part of an aggressive posture against Iran during the first Trump presidency, most notably the drone strike that killed the powerful Iranian general Qassim Suleimani in early 2020.
Mr. Trump also remains under threat because of that action, and his advisers have regularly stressed the seriousness of the situation in the years between his two terms in office. ...
Mr. Biden’s administration had privately briefed the new Trump administration about continued threats from Iran to former Trump officials, including Mr. Pompeo, Mr. Hook and Mr. Bolton, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
It didn’t say why Trump or his administration took the action.
Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani, who led the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, during his first term.
There have been threats on Trump’s life from Iran that prompted a surge in resources to protect him on the campaign trail.
In 2022, an Iranian operative was charged with a plot to murder Bolton. He told The Times “as recently as the end of last week, two separate government representatives, two separate government agencies called” to say the threat level against him remained the same as in 2022.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
