washington
CNN
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Within hours of taking office, President Donald Trump fired Secret Service agents assigned to former national security adviser John Bolton, Bolton confirmed to CNN on Tuesday.
Bolton, who left President Trump’s White House in November 2019, requires continued U.S. Secret Service protection because of threats from Iran. President Trump initially ended the protections after leaving office during his first term, but President Joe Biden reinstated them after taking office.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has made this decision,” Bolton said in a statement to CNN. “Despite my criticism of President Biden’s national security policies, he has made the decision to once again extend Secret Service protection to me in 2021.”
“The Department of Justice filed criminal charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps official for trying to hire a hitman to target me in 2022. That threat remains, and the American people can decide for themselves which president made the right decision.”
In August 2022, the Department of Justice indicted an Iranian national and a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for allegedly plotting to kill Mr. Bolton.
On Monday, President Trump revoked Bolton’s security clearance as one of his first acts after taking office. Mr. Bolton is one of dozens of former national security officials who lost their clearances signed by the new president.
This is breaking news and will be updated.