John Bolton: Trump Cared More About a "Spaghetti Bowl of Conspiracy Theories" Than Ukraine
Source: Mother Jones/By David Corn
As Vladimir Putins illegal invasion kills Ukrainian civilians and raises fear of nuclear war, Donald Trump and his minions have repeatedly insisted that this war would have never happened had Trump won a second term. That, says former ambassador John Bolton, is bunk. In an interview with Mother Jones this week, Bolton, who was Trumps national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, discussed Trumps lack of concern for Ukraine during his White House tenure; Trumps odd relationship with Putin; Boltons decision not to testify during the first Trump impeachment; a big secret about Trump that Bolton is not at liberty to fully reveal; and more.
Bolton noted that when he served in the White House, Trump paid very little attention to Ukraine until the summer of 2019 when [Trump] realized that he could have the possibility of holding up the obligation and delivery of substantial security assistance [to Ukraine] in an effort to get access to the Hillary Clinton computer server that he felt was in Ukraine, finding out about Hunter Bidens income in Ukraine, and all of these things in this spaghetti bowl of conspiracy theories. That was the first time he really focused on Ukraine. By this point, Putin had for years been backing pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine who were fighting government troops and Ukrainian militias. Yet Trump was more concerned with the nutty and unfounded notion pushed by right-wing conspiracists that the Democratic National Committee computer servers hacked by Russian cyber-operatives in 2016 were somehow whisked away to Ukraine to cover-up purported Ukrainian intervention in the election. According to Bolton, Trump really believed this Alex Jones-ish crap.
I had any number of conversations with Trump, with [Rudy] Giuliani, with others about these theories that frankly I never could understand. I couldnt get to the bottom of them. They didnt connect with one another. They were based on some guy who told some other guy something that the President was determined to track down.
Trumps fixation on this bizarre conspiracy theory and his ravenous desire to dig up dirt on Joe and Hunter Biden in Ukraine, Bolton recalled, made it hard for the rest of us who were concerned about the instability that we saw in Ukraine and eastern Europe generally because of the Russian threat to get anything much done on it. He noted that during the NATO summit in the summer of 2018, Trump was close to announcing a US withdrawal from the military alliance. This disrupted the entire meeting and prevented a full discussion of one of the major topics on the agenda: Ukraine.
When Trump looked at Ukraine, he only saw servers, Bidens, and schemes. This, Bolton said, rendered it difficult to get any focused presidential-level attention to the issue of Ukraines security and its conflict with Russia. Moreover, Bolton recounted, he couldnt even follow what Trump was saying about Ukraine and all this supposed skullduggery: I had any number of conversations with Trump, with [Rudy] Giuliani, with others about these theories that frankly I never could understand. I couldnt get to the bottom of them. They didnt connect with one another. They were based on some guy who told some other guy something that the President was determined to track down
And you couldnt really discuss the subject of Ukraine or the threat posed by Russia
without very quickly the conversation completely diverting to these other subjects.
Read more: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/03/john-bolton-donald-trump-ukraine-russia-putin/
One thing the story says further in that goes beyond the four-paragraph limit is that Bolton says Trump asked Chinese president Xi Jinping for help in winning the election. Bolton says he'd have used Trump's quote in his book, but it was disallowed.
bucolic_frolic
(43,025 posts)It's predictable
Ocelot II
(115,571 posts)Barr said he'd vote for Trump again if he was the candidate against the democrateven after everything he knew about how horrible he was (and is). These people are truly disgusting. As awful as Bolton is, I don't think he'd vote for the orange buffoon again.
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,543 posts)BumRushDaShow
(128,357 posts)fuck Bolton. He had his opportunity to speak out but like the neocon he is, and one intent on making $$$ off the book that he was publishing at the time, he refused to testify.
Stuart G
(38,403 posts)Ocelot II
(115,571 posts)because after ranting about what an incompetent lunatic he considers TFG to be, he'd vote for him again anyhow.
captain queeg
(10,081 posts)Isnt he the one that told Rudy he didnt want to be involved in his little drug deals? He wasnt speaking literally but just about their dirty little hidden scams.
BumRushDaShow
(128,357 posts)except when it came time for the subpoena to testify at one of the impeachment hearings and his response was that he was following McGahn's lead and "waiting" for the courts to decide (re: whether Congressional subpoenas were "valid" and in McGahn's case, his was a subpoena for testimony in the Mueller probe)..
By MARK SHERMANOctober 31, 2019
WASHINGTON (AP) The lawyer for former national security adviser John Bolton signaled Thursday that Bolton will not testify anytime soon in the House impeachment inquiry.
Democratic lawmakers want to hear next week from Bolton over the administrations approach to Ukraine that is central to House proceedings that could lead to the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Charles Cooper, Boltons lawyer, was in federal court Thursday on behalf of another client whose testimony the House also wants.
The client is former Bolton deputy Charles Kupperman, who wants a federal judge to resolve whether he can be forced to testify since he was a close adviser to Trump.
Cooper said Bolton could be added to the case, which is before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. Cooper has previously said that Bolton would not testify voluntarily. A House-issued subpoena would put him in the exact same situation as Kupperman.
(snip)
https://apnews.com/article/f472a849cfba4a39a903cd251af06e3c
And then when the outcome of that happened, nope nope nope.
Politics Nov 26, 2019 11:38 AM EST
WASHINGTON (AP) John Boltons attorney is suggesting that a court order directing White House counsel Don McGahn to testify to Congress has no bearing on whether his client and another ex-national security official will also appear.
Charles Cooper issued a statement Tuesday, a day after a federal judge ruled that McGahn must comply with a subpoena related to special counsel Robert Muellers investigation. Cooper represents Bolton, the former national security adviser, and Boltons former deputy, Charles Kupperman.
Kupperman has sued, seeking a court order on whether he must comply with a congressional subpoena in the impeachment inquiry or White House instructions that he not appear.
Cooper said Kupperman would continue to pursue his lawsuit.
(snip)
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/boltons-attorney-says-mcgahn-court-ruling-doesnt-force-his-client-to-testify
Irish_Dem
(46,420 posts)The information is too sensitive Bolton says.
Retrograde
(10,126 posts)Xi pays off Donnie - that's why Princess Sparkle Pony got all those pattens? Xi has dirt on Trump (doesn't every leader)? Trump got kickbacks from Xi?
Irish_Dem
(46,420 posts)So I agree; everything you say is likely to be true.
I think there is probably proof that Xi and Putin both helped Trump get "elected."
And that is what is deemed as a threat to national security. What ever Bolton has should be made public.
I think hiding the truth is what is hurting national security.
And yes money was given to Trump by Xi too.
China and Putin want to change the world order, they want to be the dominant superpowers.
They must destroy democracies and install autocratic governments as the norm.
The GOP is glad to work with them on this goal.
hedda_foil
(16,371 posts)Bolton says so but didn't use TFG's exact words because the government review wouldn't allow it.
Irish_Dem
(46,420 posts)ificandream
(9,315 posts)They don't have to state the reason, unfortunately.
TeamProg
(6,016 posts)LOCK HIM UP! ALREADY !!!
JohnnyRingo
(18,614 posts)That right there is a headline, but he praised heavier sanctions, specifically their oil export.
Joe Biden announced today that's exactly what we're going to do.
BumRushDaShow
(128,357 posts)It's breathtaking that Mr. Number One NeoCon Extraordinaire doesn't "support military action".
The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was founded in 1997 by the right wing thinkers William Kristol and Robert Kagan. This group is arguably one of the most influential in Washington and is thought to have a significant influence on - or at least to reflect - much of George Bush's view of the world.
The PNAC believes that America should use its power to shape the world and further American interests across the world - by military means if necessary. It has some high profile sympathisers including US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, his deputy Paul Wolfowitz, John Bolton, the under-secretary of state for Arms Control and International Security and Richard Perle .
America's defence
All of these people were among a group of 18 who signed a letter from the PNAC to Bill Clinton in 1998 urging him to topple Saddam's regime. The most important document produced by the group was published In September 2000, as Mr Bush was running for the presidency.
The report called "Rebuilding America's Defences" said that America's goal should be to "promote American global leadership". It called for increased defence spending coupled with a strong foreign policy which promotes American democracy across the globe - all hallmarks of the current US foreign policy.
(snip)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/3032147.stm
https://archive.org/download/ProjectForANewAmericanCenturyRebuildingAmericasDefenses/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
Hekate
(90,519 posts)Moostache
(9,895 posts)There should be a campaign ad made that is his audio with Zelenskyy - extortion for dirt on Biden in exchange for approved military aid from America - overlaid with the most graphic footage of the current masacre in Ukraine.
There should be absolutely zero space between Trump and Putin in the minds of the world when it comes to who is to blame for the lives being taken hourly right now.
Fuck them both with rusty garden tools forever. Followed by rubbing alcohol rinses.
ificandream
(9,315 posts)Cha
(296,732 posts)Spawning More Evil Monsters.
💙💛
They_Live
(3,223 posts)Go to hell Bolton.
BidenRocks
(825 posts)What's in it for me!?
TFG would have pulled us out of NATO on the first day.
Here ya go Vlad. Anything else?
Our COMSEC codes? Visit my office.
appmanga
(565 posts)...if you ask him, he'd tell you he'd still vote for that ignorant criminal jackass. Just like Bill "Fred Flintstone" Barr. These sick fucks would put party and ideology before democracy any day.
Skittles
(153,104 posts)oh, right, BECAUSE BUSH INC WAS NEVER HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR LYING THEIR WAY INTO A WAR
ificandream
(9,315 posts)The fact that these people are exposing Trump may not convert as many of his sheep as we might like initially, but it proves that we were right all along. And I think the message is getting through, however slowly. The Fake station's wall is not impenetrable.
LudwigPastorius
(9,091 posts)...was constructing concentration camps for the Uighurs, and Trump said Xi should go ahead with it."
Trump is completely down with genocide.
I used to think that those who said Trump would gladly round up Democrats and exterminate them were engaging in hyperbole. ...that even HE wouldn't go that far.
No more.
musclecar6
(1,684 posts)TFG and Putin are modern day would be Hitlers
peppertree
(21,594 posts)trusty elf
(7,380 posts)twodogsbarking
(9,664 posts)Ray Bruns
(4,071 posts)lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)Yosemite Sham is full of shit.