Hawkish’s foreign affairs adviser from Trump’s first term as president faces allegations of assassination threats from Iran.
US President Donald Trump canceled Brian Hook’s security protections for Mike Pompeo and John Bolton.
The New York Times broke the story Thursday about Trump revoking protection for Pompeo, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Trump’s order will go into effect at 11pm on Wednesday (04:00 GMT Thursday), and both Pompeo and Hook, a former top aide, will be on security detail, according to an anonymous source familiar with the matter. was stripped away.
It follows earlier reports that Trump did the same with Bolton, his former national security adviser. Bolton confirmed the news to CNN in a statement on Tuesday: “I’m disappointed but not surprised.”
Trump has since defended that decision, calling Bolton a “very stupid person.”
“We’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives. Why should we?” Trump said.
But critics point out that Bolton, Pompeo and Hook face alleged assassination threats from Iran.
All three leaders took tough stances on Iran throughout their foreign policy careers. Some analysts have speculated whether Trump’s decision to cancel their security details may be a form of retaliation for perceived disloyalty.
A person in 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 had dogged Trump with public criticism after he was forced out as national security adviser in 2019. He served under previous Republican presidents including George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
In his memoir, Bolton wrote harshly of Trump’s leadership. “A mountain of facts shows Trump is unfit to be president,” Bolton said.
Pompeo, on the other hand, has been less vocal in his criticism, although he briefly flirted with the possibility of a run in the 2024 presidential election. He continued his 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 posture of “maximum pressure” against Iran.
That period was marked by the US withdrawing from details to limit Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from US sanctions.
It is unclear whether Trump will pursue a similar strategy in his second term.
But some experts speculate that members of Trump’s inner circle have become more critical of the assertive interventionist stance advocated by figures like Bolton and Pompeo.
Trump had said Pompeo would have no role in his administration. This week, he announced on social media that Hook had been fired from his presidentially appointed position at the Wilson Center, a think tank.
There are dozens of former intelligence chiefs who signed the letter, saying the Hunter Biden laptop scandal in 2020 had signs of a “Russian intelligence operation” and their recent security clearances were revoked.