President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, despite warnings from the Biden administration that actions both men have taken on Mr. Trump's behalf put him under continued threat from Iran, according to four people familiar with the matter. Security protection for the director and his former aides was revoked. The matter came to light on Thursday.
Pompeo and his close aide Brian Hook participated in aggressive stances against Iran during the first Trump presidency, most notably the drone strike that killed powerful Iranian general Qassim Suleimani in early 2020. It was.
Trump also remains under threat because of Soleimani's killing, and his advisers have emphasized the seriousness of the situation during his two terms in office. Trump has repeatedly called for more protections during this time, including seeking military assets in the final months of the campaign because of the Iranian threat. This type of protection is typically given only to sitting presidents.
Mr. Trump on Wednesday revoked State Department intelligence for Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook, officials said, a move that comes two days after Mr. Trump revoked the Secret Service information for his predecessor, John R. Bolton. It was about. National Security Advisor.
Asked by reporters Thursday about revealing security details, Trump said, “Once you get coverage, you never get it.”
He added: “That means there's risk in everything.” He did not answer a question about whether the president should be protected for life.
With the exception of former presidents and their spouses, senior U.S. officials are not automatically afforded continued protection. The level of protection is determined by a threat assessment from the intelligence community. The Biden administration has briefed the new administration on continued threats from Iran against former Trump administration officials, including Mr. Pompeo, Mr. Hook and Mr. Bolton, according to people familiar with the matter, who, like others, remain anonymous. He spoke on the condition that This is to discuss security issues.
Bolton also said he was personally informed of the threat.
“As of last weekend, I received calls from two separate government representatives, two separate government agencies,” he said in an interview. “The current assessment is that the level of threat is no different than it was in 2022, when members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps were charged with plotting to murder Bolton,” he said.
Spokespeople for Mr. Hook and Mr. Pompeo declined to comment.
Dr. Charles Kupperman, who served as deputy national security adviser under Bolton during Trump's first term, said Trump's decisions in all three cases “have a chilling effect on the emerging national security team.” Deaf,” he said.
“His new team will be faced with many critical national security decisions that extend far into the future, and post-administration security will depend on recommendations to President Trump and subsequent decisions. could easily require long-term security based on this,” Dr. Kupperman said. “President Trump's national security team must provide guidance based on an assessment of what needs to be done to protect America, without consideration of personal safety.”
Several Republican senators at the Capitol declined to comment or evaded reporters who tried to ask questions about Mr. Trump's decision regarding Mr. Pompeo.
Sen. Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, offered a succinct statement: We don't know what the recommendations were to the president as to why he would take away security items. ”
The Iranian threat has become a major security consideration for U.S. authorities. In the fall of 2024, President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had aides warn Iran that the assassination of a former U.S. official would be considered an act of war, according to a former administration official. The warning included Trump, who complained that Biden was not doing enough to deter Iran by keeping the warning private.
Shortly after Election Day in November, the Justice Department indicted a man allegedly wiretapped by Iran to carry out a murder-for-hire plot to kill Trump.
Mr. Bolton parted ways with the first Trump administration due to bad relations, and has written a revealing book about his time in office and harshly criticized Mr. Trump. But it is less clear why the president ordered the removal of the security details of Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook, who had supported him.
Mr. Pompeo at one point considered running for president himself, suggesting that what voters were looking for was a “non-Tweet” solution, which Mr. Trump has repeatedly posted on social media. This is a roundabout reference to what is being done. But that was the extent of the criticism. Mr. Pompeo supported Mr. Trump in 2024 and was a strong critic of Mr. Biden throughout his presidential term.
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity that aired Wednesday night, Trump blamed Pompeo for not releasing files on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy during his first term. He suggested that. Those who have interacted with Mr. Pompeo over the past six years were perplexed by the statement and said it was not based in fact.
Despite this, Mr. Trump has told the nation that he does not want anyone who worked for Mr. Pompeo during his first term to work for him. He removed Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars presidential appointee several days ago through a social media post.
Edward Wong and Maya C. Miller Contributed to the report.
