Graham: The Senate needs to investigate Trump’s decision to withdraw Bolton’s security

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R.S.C.) says the Senate needs to investigate President Trump’s decision to end former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s personal security protections.

Bolton, who clashed with Trump toward the end of his first term, was under Secret Service protection because of a threat to his life from Iran.

Graham, during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said the U.S. government cannot leave former national security officials “hanging” after they take on one of the nation’s adversaries, such as Iran.

He said the Senate needs to get involved and find out why Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lost their personal security details.

“Whether you like Bolton or anyone else, we need to make sure that if you serve in our government and assume foreign authority at the request of the administration, we will not leave you hanging,” Graham told CNN’s Dana Bash.

“The Senate needs to look at what happened and sit down and figure out what’s the best way forward,” he said.

He said Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-ark) told him that the threat against Bolton and other former national security officials “appears to be real.”

“And I don’t want to leave them hanging. It makes it difficult to recruit people in the future.”

Graham warned that Trump needs to consider the potential consequences if an official who loses personal security protection is seriously injured or killed by an assassin.

“You know, if something happens to these people, you know, President Trump needs to think about, you know, having people serve in the future. Own that decision.”