Foreign policy advisers from Trump’s first term as president have reportedly faced death threats from Iran.
United States President Donald Trump has revoked security clearances for Mike Pompeo, Brian Hook and John Bolton, former foreign policy advisers who served in his first term in office.
The New York Times broke the story on Thursday that Trump had revoked protection for Pompeo, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Trump’s order took effect at 11 p.m. ET (04:00 GMT, Thursday), giving both Pompeo and Hook, a former top aide, their security, according to anonymous sources familiar with the matter. Deprived of details.
This follows an earlier report that Trump did the same for Bolton, his former national security adviser. Bolton confirmed the news to CNN with a statement on Tuesday: “I’m disappointed but not surprised.”
Trump later defended the decision, calling Bolton “a very dumb person.”
“We’re not going to give people security for the rest of their lives. Why should we?” Trump said.
But critics say Bolton, Pompeo and Hook are facing death threats allegedly from Iran.
All three leaders had taken a hard line against Iran during their foreign policy careers. Some analysts have speculated whether Trump’s decision to revoke his security detail could be retaliation for perceived disloyalty.
An official 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 to the three men.
The person called Trump’s decision “highly irresponsible.”
Bolton angered Trump with his public criticism after he was fired as national security adviser in 2019. He has served under previous Republican presidents, including George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
In his memoir, Bolton wrote scathingly about Trump’s leadership. “A mountain of facts show that Trump is unfit to be president,” Bolton said.
Pompeo, meanwhile, has been less vocal in his criticisms, but he briefly flirted with a possible 2024 presidential run before low polling numbers sank his hopes. . He continued to campaign for Trump in 2024.
During Trump’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, Pompeo and Hook were the architects of America’s “maximum pressure” stance against Iran.
The period was marked by a detailed withdrawal by the US to limit Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from devastating US sanctions.
It is unclear whether Trump will adopt a similar strategy during his second term.
But some experts have speculated that members of Trump’s inner circle have come under increasing criticism from figures like Bolton and Pompeo for an interventionist, aggressive stance.
Trump had said that Pompeo would not play a role in his administration. This week, he also announced on social media that Hook had been fired from his position as president at the Wilson Center, a think tank.
Dozens of former intelligence officials who signed a letter in 2020 saying the Hunter Biden laptop scandal had signs of a “Russian information operation” also had their security clearances revoked in recent days.
