President Trump on Tuesday explained why he revoked former national security adviser John Bolton’s security clearance.
“I think there was enough time. We take a job, you take a job, you want to do a job, we’re not going to have security on people for the rest of their lives. Why should we?” Trump said when asked by a reporter about the move.
“I thought he was a very dumb person, but I used him well because every time people saw me come into a meeting with John Bolton standing behind me, they thought that he’d attack them because he was a warmonger,” he added.
Trump’s comments about his former national security adviser follow the president revoking security clearances for numerous former officials’ via a Monday executive order.
Bolton has been a vocal critic of the president in recent years, saying in August that “in his [Trump’s] mind, the truth is whatever he wants it to be.”
Bolton also told The Hill on Tuesday that protection for him that was Secret Service-based had been stopped by Trump.
“I am disappointed but not surprised that President Trump has decided to terminate the protection previously provided by the United States Secret Service,” Bolton said in an emailed statement to The Hill.
“Notwithstanding my criticisms of President Biden’s national-security policies, he nonetheless made the decision to extend that protection to me in 2021,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to a contact for Bolton.
Alex Gangitano contributed to this report.
