Secret Service paid over $12 million for a year's protection of 2 Trump advisers from potential Iranian threats [View all]
Source: CBS News
February 27, 2024 / 11:07 AM EST
John Bolton and Robert O'Brien, two former national security advisers who served in the Trump administration, required ongoing U.S. Secret Service protection long after they left their positions due to potential threats from Iran. Newly released documents reveal the cost to taxpayers of that security. For nearly one year of protection, the total for both individuals was $12,280,324.
The cost of the security details was disclosed in a series of Department of Homeland Security reports to Congress, signed by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The reports were obtained by "60 Minutes" through a Freedom of Information Act request with the U.S. Secret Service, as part of a report about Iran's escalating threats against former Trump officials.
While the Homeland Security reports do not mention Iran by name, "60 Minutes" has independently verified that Bolton and O'Brien were receiving protection due to possible threats from the regime. The DHS documents disclose the protection for both men involves dedicated special agents, 24 hours a day, covering their homes and offices, as well as domestic and foreign travel. Officials like Bolton and O'Brien do not typically receive this level of protection once they leave office, and not for as long as both have been receiving it.
Bolton received no protection initially after he left the White House. He started getting protection in December 2021, when the Iranian threat to his life came to light. According to the documents, former President Donald Trump, upon his departure from office, directed the Secret Service to provide protection for O'Brien. For the period ending Sept. 30, 2021, that cost $1,928,922. The documents reveal President Biden then directed the U.S. Secret Service to extend both men's protection. The documents shed some light on a topic that remains largely out of public view: the financial toll of protecting American decisionmakers from foreign governments' transnational aggression.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/secret-service-paid-over-12-million-for-a-years-protection-of-2-trump-advisers-from-potential-iranian-threats/
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