John Bolton has made
some outspoken statements:
John Bolton is set to replace
H. R. McMaster as Trump's
third national security adviser,
although Michael Flynn
didn't last long.
Bolton was a Bush-era
defense under-secretary,
and former ambassador
to the UN.
Bolton would join
Mike Pompeo as the new
secretary of state,
and Gina Haspel as the
head of the CIA.
John Bolton quotes:
On the UN, 1994:
"There is no United Nations.
There is an international community
that occasionally can be led
by the only real power
left in the world,
and that's the United States,
when it suits our interests
and when we can get others
to go along."
On Iraq and weapons
of mass destruction, 2002:
"We are confident that
Saddam Hussein has hidden
weapons of mass destruction
On Iran in 2009,
before the signing
of the international nuclear deal:
"Ultimately, the only thing that will
stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons
is regime change in Tehran."
Advocating US-Israel
bombing of Iran, 2015:
"Time is terribly short,
but a strike can still succeed.
Such action should be combined
with vigorous American support
for Iran's opposition,
aimed at regime change in Tehran."
On the Iranian nuclear deal, 2016:
"The Iran nuclear deal,
in my opinion,
was the worst act
of appeasement
in American history."
On Russia, 2018:
"There needs to be a strategic response
to Russia's new nuclear missiles
to show our allies in Europe
that we will not let Russia
push the US or its allies around."
Bolton also appeared
in an unusual Russian video
where he talks about
loosening gun laws
for Russians,
NPR reported.
In 2013, he recorded a video
for the Russian group
Right to Bear Arms,
which was founded by
politician Alexander Torshin.
Torshin is currently
under investigation
by Robert Mueller
for possibly funneling money
into the NRA to help Trump
during the 2016 US election.
In the video, Bolton said:
"Were the Russian
national government to grant
a broader right to bear arms
to its people, it would be creating
a partnership with its citizens
that would better allow
for the protection of mothers,
children and families
without in any way compromising
the integrity of the Russian state."
