John Bolton was one of the worst elements of the George W. Bush administration. The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations continually pressed for war in Iraq and has been strongly pressing for war in both Iran and North Korea. Hell, he even pushed for the U.S. to go to war with Cuba!
In May 2002, during a speech at the Heritage Foundation, Bolton said he believed Cuba was developing biological weapons and was capable of distributing them to Libya and Syria.
The New York Times reported on the speech: "'The United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research and development effort,' Mr. Bolton said, taking aim at the Communist government of Fidel Castro. Cuba, he added, has also 'provided dual-use biotechnology to other rogue states.'"
The Times noted that it was the first time an American official openly accused Cuba of developing biological weapons. When the Times asked Bolton's office to substantiate this historic and potentially bellicose claim, they offered no evidence.
Just like Iraq, the claims of weapons of mass destruction were later debunked. Good thing we held off on that invasion. Although Mike Pompeo eventually received the nomination, Donald Trump was rumored to be considering Bolton for secretary of state. Rumors persist that Trump is considering Bolton, a longtime unofficial adviser, for the position of national security adviser, replacing an as-of-yet-to-be-fired Lt. General H.R. McMaster.
Aside from being dead wrong about damn near everything, several eye-popping connections between Trump, Russia, and Bolton keep surfacing. For starters, John Bolton has a Super PAC that spent a considerable amount of money with Cambridge Analytica. Funny that! From the Center for Public Integrity:
Bolton’s super PAC has paid Cambridge Analytica more than $1.1 million since 2014 for “research” and “survey research,” a Center for Public Integrity analysis of campaign finance filings shows.
So far during the 2018 election season, Bolton has announced his super PAC will spend $1 million boosting Republican Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson in Wisconsin. Nicholson is challenging incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat.
Friday, Mar 23, 2018 · 4:31:49 PM +00:00
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Jen Hayden
Shortly after publishing, Donald Trump’s administration made a hard lurch to the right. He officially announced John Bolton would replace Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as the National Security Advisor. This is an extremely troubling and dangerous development. The position does not require a Senate confirmation.
Who is donating so much money to John Bolton and why? From NPR:
Bolton, who visited President Donald Trump in the Oval Office earlier this month and has reportedly been considered as a replacement for national security adviser H.R. McMaster, is a curious pick for The Right to Bear Arms in its video effort to influence the Russian legislature.
After all, Bolton is one of the most hawkish, anti-Russia figures in Republican Party foreign policy circles. And yet the video recorded by Bolton was used by this obscure Russian gun rights group with ties to the Kremlin.
A source close to Bolton told NPR that he was originally asked to record the video by David Keene, who served as NRA president from 2011 to 2013, and that he was informed the recording was for the Russian legislature. The source also said the former ambassador had never heard of The Right to Bear Arms until recent news coverage of the group.
David Keene seems to know all about this group called The Right to Bear Arms, and must have forgotten to mention it.
A few days before Bolton's video was posted online, in November 2013, Keene was in Moscow for The Right to Bear Arms annual conference, delivering a speech. More than 300 gun rights advocates across the globe gathered in an upscale hotel to hear arguments for loosening of gun rights, and even a concealed carry fashion show.
Here’s the opening statement from a man willing to bomb anyone who even looks askew at the United States:
Bolton: Thank you for this opportunity to address the Russian people on the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Russian Constitution," Bolton said in the video, which has previously been unreported. "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. That is my wish and my advice to your great people.
