President Donald Trump has reportedly revoked the security details for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Brian Hook. The two former Trump officials had received security details under the Biden-Harris administration due to threats from Iran.
The New York Times first reported Trump’s move to revoke Pompeo and Hook’s security details, citing four sources familiar with the president’s action. On Thursday, a congressional staffer and another source familiar with the situation confirmed the president’s decision to The Associated Press. The sources indicated that both Pompeo and Hook were informed on Wednesday that they would be losing their security details by 11 p.m.
The New York Post reported that while former administration officials are not typically provided with security details after leaving office, former President Joe Biden authorized security details for Pompeo, Hook, and John Bolton, a former national security adviser to Trump, due to continued threats from Iran over their heavy criticism of the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and involvement in the strike that killed Qassim Suleimani, a top Iranian military leader, in 2020.
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According to The Associated Press, both Pompeo and Hook had received constant protection by the Diplomatic Security Service under the Biden-Harris administration’s State Department since January 21, 2021. The outlet noted that a 2022 document provided by the State Department indicated the agency was paying more than $2 million per month to protect the two former administration officials.
In addition to revoking the security details for Pompeo and Hook, Trump also revoked the security detail for Bolton earlier this week, according to The New York Post. Addressing his decision to remove Bolton’s security detail, Trump told reporters, “I think there was enough time. We take a job, you take a job, you want to do a job, we’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives. Why should we?”
In a statement to Newsweek following the president’s decision, Bolton said, “I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has made this decision.” He added, “Despite my criticisms of President Biden’s national security policies, he made the decision to extend Secret Service protection to me in 2021.”