President Trump has rescinded security protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former top aide Brian Hook, according to The New York Times.
Pompeo and Hook played central roles in the Trump administration’s hardline approach to Iran, particularly in orchestrating the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassim Suleimani. The attack left not only Pompeo and Hook, but Trump himself, under sustained threats from Iran, a concern his advisers have repeatedly emphasized. The Biden administration also warned of ongoing threats against them from Iran.
On Tuesday, the State Department-provided security details for Pompeo and Hook were withdrawn, sources said. Just a day earlier, Trump also ended U.S. Secret Service protection for John R. Bolton, his former national security adviser, who faces similar threats.
While former presidents and their spouses receive automatic protection, senior U.S. officials do not. However, intelligence assessments during the Biden administration determined that threats from Iran remained significant enough to justify ongoing protection for Pompeo, Hook, and Bolton. Biden’s team privately briefed Trump’s incoming administration about these risks, with Bolton confirming he was personally informed about the continued threat.
“As recently as the end of last week, two separate government representatives, two separate government agencies called,” Bolton said in an interview on Wednesday. “They said our current assessment is that the threat level remains the same.”
Bolton, who had a contentious split with Trump and has been openly critical of him, noted the seriousness of the situation. The reasons for revoking security for Pompeo and Hook, both of whom remain supportive of Trump, are less clear.
Trump has reportedly expressed a desire to distance himself from individuals associated with Pompeo during his first term. Days ago, he announced via social media that he was removing Hook from a presidential appointee role at the Wilson Center for Scholars.
