US President Donald Trump revoked security protection for former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and former special envoy for Iran Brian Hook despite warnings from the Biden administration about ongoing threats from Tehran, according to the New York Times.
Pompeo and Hook were key figures in Trump’s hardline policies toward Tehran during his previous term, including the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Citing four people with knowledge of the matter, the New York Times reported that intelligence assessments indicated Iranian threats to the lives Pompeo and Hook related to their deeds in office remain ongoing, which led the Biden administration to extend their security details during its term.
Earlier this month, the AP reported that Washington extended protection for Pompeo and Hook over threats from Iran.
Last month, the State Department informed Congress that the threats against Pompeo, former secretary of state, and Hook, former special envoy for Iran, are still “serious and credible”, which justify the renewal of their protection programs.
Citing one of the sources briefed on the matter, the report said that their State Department-funded security was withdrawn on Tuesday. A day earlier, Trump also terminated the Secret Service protection for John Bolton, his former national security adviser, who allegedly faces similar threats.
The report added that Biden administration officials had privately briefed the Trump administration about the ongoing threats to Pompeo, Hook, and Bolton.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has decided to terminate the protection,” Bolton said in a statement on X on Tuesday, adding that Joe Biden had given the protection despite his criticism of Biden's policies.
“The Justice Department filed criminal charges against an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official in 2022 for attempting to hire a hitman to target me. That threat remains today,” Bolton added.
According to the US Justice Department, Shahram Poursafi, an Iranian operative, attempted to pay $300,000 to have Bolton killed in Washington DC or Maryland.
Bolton also confirmed to the New York Times that he was contacted by two government agencies last week and informed that the threat level had not changed.
