"Morning Joe" panelists expressed shock at Donald Trump's decision to revoke security for ex-officials targeted by Iran. "Brian Hook, of all people... never criticized Donald Trump," said host Scarborough, questioning why the loyal aide lost protection amid a "real" Iran threat.
The presenters on "Morning Joe" on MSNBC were taken aback by one of the persons targeted when Trump canceled the government-funded security details of some of his former administration staffers who had turned opponents.
Ex-National Security Adviser John Bolton, Brian Hook, and Mike Pompeo were all wanted by Iran for assassination; the president terminated federal protection for Dr. Anthony Fauci, who had previously advised him on COVID-19, and ended Secret Service protection for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his top aide.
Several Republicans, including South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, have asked him to change his mind.
According to Scarborough, their worries extend beyond individuals who may be vulnerable to Iranian murder squads to include the current government and its employees.
"Yeah, they may be exposed when they get out of public service, and so that is the real question. You know, a lot of debates over Secret Service protection being taken away from Anthony Fauci and others. The thing, though, that really sends a chill in the defense community and the intel community are, of course, Pompeo and Bolton, but especially Brian Hook, which is interesting."
"I've attended talks and sat at tables with Brian Hook," he said. "I've never heard him criticize Donald Trump or the Trump administration, and, in fact, he's a pretty loyal soldier. His job was obviously to protect us from the Iranian threat, and so I think a lot of people, a lot of people on the Hill and a lot of people in the State Department are shocked that Brian Hook, of all people, also getting his security detail taken away when the threat, as Sen. Cotton said, is very real from Iran."
Trump's decision on Hook perplexed co-host Jonathan Lemire as well, but his desire to punish Bolton-an vocal critic-and even Pompeo was less surprising.
According to Lemire, that one is the most puzzling.
He elaborates by saying that John Bolton stands out the most. Though Trump nominated Mike Pompeo to the positions of CIA director and secretary of state during his first term, and the Iranian threat is still very much alive, Bolton has been an extremely vocal critic of Trump.
Lemire brings up the fact that the Biden administration earlier this year warned that Iran was making plans to murder Donald Trump. Iran disagrees. Everyone knows there were prior attempts on Trump's life, he says, but the threat is still there, and the relationship with Iran is under even more scrutiny now that Trump is back in power.
As the Senate returns to session this week in Washington, the co-host implies that some Republican senators, like Graham and Cotton-and maybe even more today-may come out and say that Trump made a poor decision by prioritizing his own feelings over national security.
