Lindsey Graham Calls for Senate Probe Into Trump’s Security Detail Revocations

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) urged the Senate to investigate what he called a “mistake” by President Donald Trump in withdrawing Secret Service protection for former administration officials still facing credible threats to their safety.

During his first week back in office, Trump revoked security details for former National Security Adviser John Bolton, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and aide Brian Hook, all of whom have been targeted for assassination by Iran. Trump also removed protection for Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has faced death threats from some of Trump’s supporters due to his role in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

Appearing on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday, Graham discussed the issue with host Dana Bash, revealing a conversation he had with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “He said he had a briefing and he asked the briefers, ‘If it were you or your family, would you think you deserve a detail?’ And they said, ‘Yes,'” Graham recounted.

“Whether you like Bolton or anybody else, we need to make sure that if you serve in our government and you take on a foreign power at the request of the administration, that we do not leave you hanging.” Bash pressed Graham for clarification: “So, they should get the security back?”

“Yeah, I think we need—the Senate needs to look at what happened and sit down and figure out what’s the best way forward,” Graham responded. The senator emphasized that not all former officials require lifelong security, but the decision should be based on credible threats.

“Everybody doesn’t deserve a detail all their life. It needs to be ‘as needed,'” Graham said. “But what Senator Cotton told me—the threats seem to be real against these individuals, and I don’t want to leave them hanging. It makes it hard to recruit people in the future.”

He added, “If something happened to these people… President Trump needs to think about getting people to serve in the future, owning that decision.” Bash pressed Graham further, asking if the decision was a mistake. “Yeah. If the intel is what Senator Cotton said, I think we should keep the details,” Graham concluded.

The issue raises concerns about the government’s responsibility to protect former officials who face ongoing threats, particularly those targeted due to their roles in controversial or high-stakes international policy. Graham’s comments suggest bipartisan concern over the revocations and a potential review of how security decisions are made moving forward.