Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska signaled Friday that his support for the nomination of John R. Bolton as U.N. ambassador was wavering after new reports that
Bolton ordered an intelligence analyst removed from his job.
The analyst, a State Department employee who now works on Hagel's Senate staff, is the third intelligence analyst reported to have been threatened or intimidated by Bolton, who has served since 2001 as undersecretary of State for arms control and international security.
"Sen. Hagel is likely to be supportive [of Bolton] but he needs to be assured there are not additional serious areas of concern," Hagel spokesman Mike Buttry said, adding that Hagel was troubled by the new information.
Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are investigating as many as five additional incidents in which Bolton's demeanor toward State Department subordinates has been questioned, say Senate staffers from both parties. In a confirmation hearing this week, testimony indicated Bolton demanded the removal of two intelligence analysts who disagreed with him.
Amid the developments, Hagel's remarks served as a warning that Bolton's confirmation, which had been considered assured, could falter if Democrats succeeded in producing more evidence against Bolton.
"The U.N. matters and the person there is more than simply a delivery boy," a former official said. "There's always discretion in what an ambassador says ... and how he says it. And U.S. envoys to the U.N. can be creative and problem-solving -- or can be creative and problem-creating."
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