Mike Pompeo was one of Trump’s most aggressive loyalists during his tenure in the first term. Now he’s on the hit list.
President Trump revoked security protection for his former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, and a former top aide, Brian Hook, despite warnings from the Biden administration that both men faced ongoing threats from Iran because of actions they took on Mr. Trump’s behalf, four people with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.
Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook had been part of an aggressive posture against Iran during the first Trump presidency, most notably the drone strike that killed the powerful Iranian general Qassim Suleimani in early 2020.
Mr. Trump also remains under threat because of that action, and his advisers have regularly stressed the seriousness of the situation in the years between his two terms in office.
Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Hook had their security details, which were believed to be provided by the State Department, pulled on Tuesday, one of the people briefed on the matter said. A day before, Mr. Trump pulled the U.S. Secret Service detail of John R. Bolton, who was Mr. Trump’s third national security adviser and also faces threats.
Other than former presidents and their spouses, senior U.S. officials are not automatically granted ongoing protection. But the threat assessments from the intelligence community that the risk level remained for Mr. Pompeo, Mr. Hook and Mr. Bolton had been the basis for the Biden administration granting it to them. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had his aides warn the Iranians that assassinating a former U.S. government official would be considered an act of war, a former senior administration official said.
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Mr. Trump has told people he does not want anyone working for him who worked under Mr. Pompeo in his first term. He removed Mr. Hook as a presidential appointee to the Wilson Center for Scholars via a social media post days ago.
Trump had gone out of his way to announce that Pompeo would not be considered for a position in the new administration (along with Nikki Haley) which I thought was weird at the time. It’s unclear specifically what he has against him but this is a good bet:
He is so petty that he is putting the lives of his “disloyal” former followers at risk, even though the threats are inspired by comments made on his behalf during his presidency. Wow. Just wow.
Pompeo was a very, very good soldier during his tenure at the CIA and the State Department during Trump’s first term. This is a shot across the bow at Trump’s most loyal henchmen that he will throw them to the wolves no matter what if they make even the slightest move against him. If any of these men are killed by Iranian assassins that warning will be even more powerful.