After ouster, bitter Bolton vowed
a money blitz to aid Trump rivals
Adviser was suspected in leak that undercut
an Afghan policy that he strongly opposed
When he left the White House in September 2018, John Bolton
squabbled with President Trump over how he came to leave the post of national security adviser.
The fiery tempered Bolton tweeted that he had offered to resign before Trump canned him. Trump said Bolton was too truculent for him to tolerate and that they had had to part ways over many differences. Bolton is known as a super hawk who wanted to invade Iran and bring about regime change by 2019. Bolton came to the White House as an old friend of Trump's lawyer, Rudy Guiliani but Guliani tweeted today that he had been wrong about his trust in Bolton.
At the time of the dust-up, Trump insisted that in fact he was the stronger of the two, mocking Bolton as "Mr. Tough Guy." Bolton immediately held a press conference at which he announced that he was rebooting his political action committees in order to raise money for hawkish Republicans who would be expected to challenge Trump's foreign policies.
“The John Bolton PAC and John Bolton Super PAC seek a strong, clear, and dependable U.S. national security policy, resting on constancy and resolve,” Bolton said in a statement that seemed to be taking a jab at Trump for lack of resolve and weakness. “The experience that these incumbent members of Congress have provides them with a remarkable understanding and knowledge of the threats we face from international terrorism and rogue regimes such as Iran and North Korea.”
A Vanity Fair reporter wrote in 2018 that the statement was a "not-so-subtle jab at the president," whose positions had often not jibed with those of Bolton.
The final fallout between Trump and Bolton reportedly came over Bolton’s increasing isolation as the administration began negotiations with the Taliban over withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, leading him to break with Trump over the president inviting Taliban leaders to a secret peace summit at Camp David. Bolton was suspected of being the leaker who tipped off the press to the parley.
Recipients of Bolton’s donations include three senators, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Cory Gardner, R-Col., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and two House members, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. All share Bolton's hawkish stance on foreign policy, but none of these lawmakers may wish to accept Bolton money in future. Cotton, for example, has been a vigorous supporter of Trump during the impeachment process, although Gardner was reportedly wavering on whether he wished to hear testimony from Bolton once the President's team wraps up its defense.
Bolton was a top adviser to Mitch Romney during Romney's presidential campaign. Romney, now a Republican senator from Utah, has blasted Trump and has been strongly leaning to calling his old associate Bolton as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial. How much Bolton's PACs have funneled to Romney is yet to be disclosed.
The fiery tempered Bolton tweeted that he had offered to resign before Trump canned him. Trump said Bolton was too truculent for him to tolerate and that they had had to part ways over many differences. Bolton is known as a super hawk who wanted to invade Iran and bring about regime change by 2019. Bolton came to the White House as an old friend of Trump's lawyer, Rudy Guiliani but Guliani tweeted today that he had been wrong about his trust in Bolton.
At the time of the dust-up, Trump insisted that in fact he was the stronger of the two, mocking Bolton as "Mr. Tough Guy." Bolton immediately held a press conference at which he announced that he was rebooting his political action committees in order to raise money for hawkish Republicans who would be expected to challenge Trump's foreign policies.
“The John Bolton PAC and John Bolton Super PAC seek a strong, clear, and dependable U.S. national security policy, resting on constancy and resolve,” Bolton said in a statement that seemed to be taking a jab at Trump for lack of resolve and weakness. “The experience that these incumbent members of Congress have provides them with a remarkable understanding and knowledge of the threats we face from international terrorism and rogue regimes such as Iran and North Korea.”
A Vanity Fair reporter wrote in 2018 that the statement was a "not-so-subtle jab at the president," whose positions had often not jibed with those of Bolton.
The final fallout between Trump and Bolton reportedly came over Bolton’s increasing isolation as the administration began negotiations with the Taliban over withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, leading him to break with Trump over the president inviting Taliban leaders to a secret peace summit at Camp David. Bolton was suspected of being the leaker who tipped off the press to the parley.
Recipients of Bolton’s donations include three senators, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Cory Gardner, R-Col., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and two House members, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., and Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. All share Bolton's hawkish stance on foreign policy, but none of these lawmakers may wish to accept Bolton money in future. Cotton, for example, has been a vigorous supporter of Trump during the impeachment process, although Gardner was reportedly wavering on whether he wished to hear testimony from Bolton once the President's team wraps up its defense.
Bolton was a top adviser to Mitch Romney during Romney's presidential campaign. Romney, now a Republican senator from Utah, has blasted Trump and has been strongly leaning to calling his old associate Bolton as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial. How much Bolton's PACs have funneled to Romney is yet to be disclosed.
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