HUGH HEWITT: A perfect first week for President Trump (with an asterisk)

There are a score of actions and a couple of speeches, including the inaugural address and the blunt remarks to the Davos crowd, that I could list as big wins for Trump, but his most significant steps are (1) his announcement of the goal for all NATO nations of defense budgets at 5% of their GDP, and (2) his Executive Order on ending DEI in the government and within those institutions receiving federal dollars. 

All four countries are led by evil governments that exploit their people. Iran is the most obviously malevolent actor among them and Iran is -right now- trying to kill Americans at home here, including the president himself, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Special Envoy on Iran Brian Hook and others. Everyone on Iran's target list should have 24/7/365 protection. 

Thus, the asterisk. It's a big one. Late in the week, the president and newly minted Secretary of State Marco Rubio ended the security for Pompeo et al. No reasons were given. Supporters of the president, including me and, far more importantly, many senators were stunned. 

The consequences of the withdrawal of the security details on the ayatollahs must be that they perceive a provocation -a taunt- and an invitation to strike here. Such a strike would be terrible for the targets and by-standers, but also for everyone who wants to deter war with Iran, not go to war with it. 

What are the details about the hit list? Joe Kent, who is now chief of staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and slated to lead National Counterterrorism Threat Center, testified Friday in a classified setting. Kent immediately said "Yes" when asked by Sen, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, if Kent would want security for himself or his family if he were in the reports the Senate Intel Committee reviewed that day. (The intelligence they were discussing is classified but not that Q-and-A, and many people in the room heard it and can confirm.)

So President Trump and Secretary Rubio-neither of whom could have had a briefing on these ongoing, very specific threats given the timing of the decision to pull security- were very poorly served by whomever made this recommendation to them on whatever grounds. 

The Iranians still want to kill President Trump and everyone involved in the decision to stop Qasem Soleimani in Iraq on January 3, 2020, before the Iranian general killed more Americans there. Iran has more than once tried to take out people on their payback list, and the crazed theocrats never stop coming at their targets. 

The president and Secretary Rubio should blast whomever in their circle made the recommendation for this decision for endangering not just the targets but the whole country, which would be greatly damaged if the assassins got through the threat. 

Some have argued that private citizens should pay for their own security. That's a stupid and reflexively anti-Trump comment. Trump is going to issue a bunch of hard orders over the next four years, especially against the cartels. Who is going to relay those orders and organize their execution if they doubt for a moment the U.S. will stand by them and most especially their families for however long it takes? Moreover, "private security" is simply far below that which our government provides because "private security" doesn't know what's coming at a target. Our Intel agencies tell federal security details what's in the works. They don't tell private armed guards.