National Security Advisor John Bolton begins his first day of work on Monday, replacing General H. R. McMaster in the position advising Trump on issues confronting the United States around the world.
Bolton announced his first day over social media yesterday and said, “Tomorrow I look forward to starting as National Security Advisor, and working with President Trump and his team to keep America safe and secure in these challenging times.”
Tomorrow I look forward to starting as National Security Advisor, and working with President Trump and his team to keep America safe and secure in these challenging times.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) April 8, 2018
Liberals, who resisted the idea of Trump picking Bolton to the post, are in full melt-down mode.
Check it out, via Twitchy:
I don’t think we have enough iodine tablets. https://t.co/Z9fD7c11T2
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) April 8, 2018
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” https://t.co/Kyn4XdUWXv
— Adam Brody (@Handlebrody) April 8, 2018
Tomorrow the world becomes more destabilized and less safe. https://t.co/dxMUbM1pyh
— Will Fischer (@will_c_fischer) April 8, 2018
Into the chaotic dysfunction, Syria, trade wars, mass resignations & firings, and an unhinged president who makes foreign policy by tweet in response to Fox & Friends…enter a reckless warmonger who wants to attack a nuclear North Korea and bomb Iran. What could go wrong? https://t.co/luKtU4aOoT
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) April 8, 2018
NIGHTMARE: Bolton is the reason the US is not a party to the Rome Statute and therefore the ICC. The mustache is a walking human rights fail. https://t.co/0D4W1yXTe1
— Lauren Wolfe (@Wolfe321) April 9, 2018
What can I put you down for in the pool? I have you gone on 3 months. Uhhhh, let’s see here, “due to various skeletons in your closet that are quickly uncovered by a free press.” https://t.co/5OsT8BrQNq
— Ned Pyle (@NerdPyle) April 9, 2018
Tomorrow you become @realDonaldTrump’s 3rd National Security Advisor in 445 days.
You will not be his last. https://t.co/Hx1IXgbxhT
— Philippe Reines (@PhilippeReines) April 8, 2018
Bloomberg reports Bolton is jumping into his new post following a chemical attack in Syria:
John Bolton, a veteran of Republican administrations who’s called for military action to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, takes over the key White House position on Monday, just as missile strikes on a Syrian military base controlled by President Bashar al-Assad left at least 14 people dead, including Iranians, according to local reports.
The strikes came just hours after an alleged chemical attack on a rebel stronghold near the Syrian capital Damascus prompted Trump to warn Iran and Russia that there’ll be a “big price to pay” for backing Assad in Syria’s civil war. It wasn’t immediately clear who fired the missiles at the Syrian airbase known as T-4. The Pentagon said it wasn’t involved and Russia blamed Israel.
The Wall Street Journal has more on Bolton:
President Donald Trump’s new national security adviser enters the White House this week facing an immediate test in developing a response to a suspected chemical-weapons attack in Syria that has killed dozens.
John Bolton, who has served as American ambassador to the United Nations, State Department official under two presidents, and a Fox News commentator, is known for advocating muscular military responses to advance U.S. interests and will play a key role in helping Mr. Trump decide whether to strike Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
And, with regards to the situation in Syria:
Over the years, Mr. Bolton, 69 years old, has taken different views on the U.S. approach to Syria. In 2013, when then-President Barack Obama threatened to launch a military strike against Mr. Assad’s regime after he used sarin gas in one deadly attack, Mr. Bolton opposed the move.
“I think the notion that a limited strike, which is what the president seems to be pursuing, will not create a deterrent effect,” he said on “Fox & Friends” at the time.
Last year, as Mr. Trump prepared to launch cruise missiles against Mr. Assad for another chemical-weapons attack, Mr. Bolton said any military strike had to be part of a larger strategy to counter Russia and Iran, Syria’s main military backers.
“I think that’s a lesson for the new administration on what it’s like to deal with Russia and what their word is worth and what it’s like to deal with the Assad regime,” Mr. Bolton said in a SiriusXM interview with Breitbart News.
Here’s even more, per the Hill:
In the days following President Trump’s appointment of Ambassador John Bolton as national security advisor, his critics have been out in full force. But they have painted a caricature of him that is inaccurate and unfair.
Bolton is an accomplished lawyer, diplomat and thought leader, having spent many years in public service. In 2001, he was named U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, and from 2005 to 2006, he served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations (UN). One of us (Sen. Lieberman) joined a small group of Senate Democrats to support Bolton’s confirmation as an undersecretary of state, and the other (Ambassador Wallace) served under him at the UN.
In our judgement, Ambassador Bolton has a breadth and depth of experience in national security, and a reputation for knowing the ins and outs of Washington. These qualities will make him an effective national security advisor.