Wall Street Journal Shreds Donald Trump’s Most Recent ‘Vindictive Whim’ As A ‘New Low’

President Donald Trump’s pulling of security protection for three of his former top aides — who have all faced credible threats to their lives — has been slammed and condemned as “vindictive” by the conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal.

In a column published online Thursday, the newspaper’s board acknowledged “the possibility of falling out of President Trump’s good graces is an occupational hazard for good people who serve in his Administration.”

“But this looks like a new low,” it added.

Trump has nixed protection for his onetime national security adviser John Bolton, his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his former Iran envoy Brian Hook.

Bolton, who was the target of an Iranian assassination plot, has become a fierce critic of his former boss. Trump, meanwhile, has retaliated with insults.

But despite the clear animosity between the pair, the Journal’s board argued that “decisions about security details are supposed to be made based on neutral assessments of the danger, not some vindictive whim.”

“If Iran commits violence against any of these men, Mr. Trump won’t be able to escape some responsibility,” the newspaper added.

Bolton himself has admitted he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Trump’s move against him.

“Notwithstanding my criticisms of President [Joe] Biden’s national-security policies, he nonetheless made the decision to extend that protection to me in 2021,” Bolton wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding: “The American people can judge for themselves which President made the right call.”

CNN on Thursday quoted one former intelligence official as warning: “Somebody is going to get killed, there is a credible and serious Iranian threat against Pompeo and Bolton.” Another suggested Trump was acting out of “pure spite and pettiness.”

Read the Journal’s full post here.