Nobody Has a Right to Security Clearances

As part of his initial flurry of action at the beginning of his second term — truly a shocking contrast to the moribundity of the Biden administration over the last four years — Donald Trump not only canceled security details for John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and Pompeo’s aide Brian Hook, but also issued an executive order revoking Bolton’s security clearances, as well as those of all 49 signatories of the infamous “Hunter Biden Letter,” all of them former intelligence officials. (There were 51 original signatories; two have since passed away.) And of course, because Trump is Trump, there is both good and bad in this move.

Removing the three men’s protection is not only an act of petty spite, but actively endangers them, given that they are targets for assassination by Iran. Indeed, they are targets because of their work for Trump during his first administration, which culminated in the droning of Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. I agree completely with the editors of National Review that their protections should be restored, and shudder to think of what will happen to the Trump administration should any harm come to them from a foreign power. (People will neither forget nor forgive Trump’s role in allowing it to happen, should it come to pass.)

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.

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As part of his initial flurry of action at the beginning of his second term — truly a shocking contrast to the moribundity of the Biden administration over the last four years — Donald Trump not only canceled security details for John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and Pompeo’s aide Brian Hook, but also issued an executive order revoking Bolton’s security clearances, as well as those of all 49 signatories of the infamous “Hunter Biden Letter,” all of them former intelligence officials. (There were 51 original signatories; two have since passed away.) And of course, because Trump is Trump, there is both good and bad in this move.

Removing the three men’s protection is not only an act of petty spite, but actively endangers them, given that they are targets for assassination by Iran. Indeed, they are targets because of their work for Trump during his first administration, which culminated in the droning of Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasem Soleimani in January 2020. I agree completely with the editors of National Review that their protections should be restored, and shudder to think of what will happen to the Trump administration should any harm come to them from a foreign power. (People will neither forget nor forgive Trump’s role in allowing it to happen, should it come to pass.)

About the Author

Jeffrey Blehar

Jeffrey Blehar is a National Review staff writer living in Chicago. He is also the co-host of National Review’s Political Beats podcast, which explores the great music of the modern era with guests from the political world happy to find something non-political to talk about.