Mainstream news outlets decried President Trump’s decision to revoke security details for John Bolton, Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley and others. However, there is precedent for former officials with far graver security threats losing protection under Democratic presidents.
In 2009, after initially renewing former Vice President Dick Cheney’s Secret Service protection for an additional six months, the Obama administration appeared to let his protection expire.
While a few outlets covered then-Defense Secretary Janet Napolitano’s renewal of Cheney’s protection, there appears to be virtually no coverage of the protection expiring.
Unlike former presidents, who get Secret Service protection for life after they leave office, vice presidents are only afforded six months of protection after they depart.
Cheney’s friends told Politico in 2009 that the former VP had become concerned about his personal security in recent years.
Cheney, who played a significant role in orchestrating the war on terror, was a target for terrorist cells across the middle east.
His own cardiologist feared that terrorists may attempt to hack into his heart defibrillator. The fear was so palpable that Cheney had the device modified to prevent a terror attack on it. (RELATED: Biden’s Last-Minute Pardons Might Be Good For Trump, But Bad For America)
Outlets like The New York Times and MSNBC, however, dedicated significant editorial resources to covering Trump’s decisions to pull details from figures under lesser threat than Cheney.
ST. MICHAELS, MD — MARCH 17: Former Vice President Dick Cheney is interviewed for the second time by Chris Whipple for “The Presidents’ Gatekeepers” project about White House Chiefs of Staff, March 17, 2012 in St. Michaels, Maryland. (Photo by David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images).
“Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth exacting revenge on General Mark Milley for telling the truth,” MSNBC captioned a video explaining Trump’s decision.
“Trump’s Retribution Continues With Removal of General Milley’s Security Detail,” The New York Times also wrote.
CNN and CBS also covered the security pulls.
While ignoring Cheney’s lapse, they all covered Trump’s revocation of John Bolton’s security detail. They also all covered Milley’s.
Their coverage often focused heavily on potential security threats facing the former protectees. But Cheney is arguably more in danger than any of the others.
Former president Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons for Milley and Fauci before he left office on Jan. 20.
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