Bolton Tests His Boundaries and Trump's Patience in Growing Role

[DonViejo]

By Margaret Talev and Jennifer Jacobs

April 2, 2019, 4:00 AM EDT

Trump and adviser split on North Korean sanctions last month

Relationships with powerful Republicans said to protect Bolton

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton is expanding his influence in increasingly visible ways, pursuing his own longstanding foreign policy priorities at the risk of tensions with top administration officials -- and even Donald Trump himself.

An example spilled into the public eye a week ago, when an irked Trump cryptically announced on Twitter he’d undo some North Korea-related sanctions blessed by Bolton. The president’s decision was quietly walked back and the sanctions remain in place.

Since joining Trump’s White House, Bolton has pursued an agenda that includes trying to break Iran financially, oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, shield Americans from the reach of the International Criminal Court and toughen the U.S. posture toward Russia. He coordinated with key lawmakers, U.S. diplomatic and defense officials and the Israelis to compel Trump to slow an abrupt withdrawal of American forces from Syria.

Bolton, 70, has meanwhile adopted an increasingly public profile on Twitter, Trump’s social media platform of choice. Through a spokesman, he declined to be interviewed for this article.

This story is based on interviews with lawmakers and several current and former White House and diplomatic officials, most of whom asked not to be identified in order to candidly discuss Trump’s third national security adviser.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-02/bolton-tests-his-boundaries-and-trump-s-patience-in-growing-role

[marylandblue]

1. Cue the "I have full faith in my NSA. Fake news!"

And a month for him to resign.

[pangaia]

2. John Bolton is loony.. Not a loony bird, just loony.

First off, is mustache is too big.. Anybody can see that... And it just goes on from there...

[2naSalit]

3. And dangerous...nt

[gratuitous]

4. I don't buy it for a second

The part about testing Trump's patience, that is. Bolton may indeed be marching to his own drummer, but Trump doesn't care. The only way he'll care is if Bolton embarrasses him. The sanctions on North Korea weren't enough; Trump isn't currently engaged in his relationship with Kim Jong Un. If it crosses his attention span, he might get restless, but for now Trump is plugged into Mexico and keeping the Mueller report bottled up. He can't juggle three balls, so Bolton has a free hand for now.

If Bolton really starts to annoy Trump, it will come out in other ways, not directly from Trump. For all his "You're fired!" bluster, Trump is really a weakling when it comes to personnel matters. Someone else will have to come forward with a public or semi-public warning for Bolton.