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A2 u.s. news
Wednesday 11 september 2019
Trump dismisses John Bolton, says they ‘disagreed strongly’

By ZEKE MILLER and DEB The departure comes at
RIECHMANN a trying moment for the
Associated Press Trump administration on
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- the world stage, weeks
dent Donald Trump on ahead of the United Na-
Tuesday forced out John tions General Assembly
Bolton, his hawkish na- and as the president faces
tional security adviser with pressing decisions on a host
whom he had significant of foreign policy issues.
disagreements on Iran, Af- In recent months, tensions
ghanistan and a cascade have risen between Bolton
of other global challenges. and Secretary of State Mike
The two men offered Pompeo over influence in
opposing accounts on the president’s orbit and
Bolton’s less than friendly how to manage the presi-
departure, a leave-taking dent’s desire to negotiate
example of what had been with some of the world’s
a fractious relationship al- most unsavory actors.
most from the start. Since joining the admin-
Trump tweeted that he istration in the spring of
told Bolton Monday night last year, Bolton has es-
his services were no lon- poused skepticism about
ger needed at the White the president’s whirlwind
House and Bolton submit- rapprochement with North In this Feb. 7, 2019 file photo, from left, National Security Adviser John Bolton, accompanied by
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and President Donald Trump, speaks before Trump signs a Na-
ted his resignation Tuesday Korea and has advocated tional Security Presidential Memorandum to launch the “Women’s Global Development and Pros-
morning. Bolton responded against Trump’s decision perity” Initiative in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
in a tweet of his own that last year to pull U.S. troops Associated Press
he offered to resign Mon- out of Syria. He master- Trump’s now-scrapped no- press office announced America from the world
day “and President Trump minded a quiet campaign tion to bring Taliban nego- that Bolton would join Pom- just at the moment where
said, ‘Let’s talk about it to- inside the administration tiators to Camp David last peo and Treasury Secre- a stable American hand is
morrow.’” and with allies abroad to weekend to try to finalize a tary Steven Mnuchin in a most needed.”
Trump said that he had persuade Trump to keep peace deal in Afghanistan. briefing. A White House of- White House spokesman
“disagreed strongly” with U.S. forces in Syria to coun- South Carolina Sen. Lindsey ficial said that Bolton had Hogan Gidley said Charles
many of Bolton’s sugges- ter the remnants of the Is- Graham, who was travel- departed the premises Kupperman, the deputy
tions as national security lamic State and Iranian in- ing with Trump Monday, after Trump’s tweet and national security adviser
adviser, “as did others in fluence in the region. said reports of Bolton’s dis- would no longer appear as and a former Reagan ad-
the administration.” Bolton was also opposed to sent on the Taliban meet- scheduled. ministration official and de-
ing was a “bridge too far” In a further sign of acrimo- fense contracting execu-
for Trump. One Republican nious relationship, a person tive, would fill Bolton’s role
familiar with the disagree- close to Bolton told report- on an acting basis. Trump
ments between Trump and ers that they had been au- said he would name a re-
Bolton said the adviser’s thorized to say one thing — placement for Bolton next
opposition to a possible that since Bolton has been week. Bolton was named
meeting between Trump national security adviser Trump’s third national secu-
and Iranian President Has- there have been no “bad rity adviser in March 2018
san Rouhani was a pre- deals” on Iran, North Korea, after the departure of Army
cipitating factor in the dis- Russia, and Syria. The per- Gen. H.R. McMaster.
missal. French President son, who did not divulge He’s championed hawkish
Emmanuel Macron has who had given the autho- foreign policy views dat-
been trying to broker such rization, was not allowed to ing back to the Reagan
a meeting, possibly on the discuss the issue by name administration and be-
sidelines of the upcoming and spoke only on condi- came a household name
U.N. General Assembly, in tion of anonymity. over his vociferous support
the hope of salvaging the When asked to respond for the Iraq War as the U.S.
international Iran nuclear to the person’s comment, ambassador to the U.N. un-
deal that Trump withdrew White House press secretary der George W. Bush. Bolton
from. Bolton and his Na- Grisham smiled and told re- briefly considered running
tional Security Council staff porters: “I don’t know how for president in 2016, in part
were also viewed warily by to read” it. “Sounds like just to make the case against
some in the White House somebody trying to protect the isolationism that Trump
who viewed them as more him,” she added. would come to embody.
attuned to their own agen- Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Still, Trump has admired
das than the president’s said the move was a cause Bolton for years, praising
— and some administra- for worry. him on Twitter as far back
tion aides have accused “I’m legitimately shaken as 2014. Trump has told al-
Bolton’s staff of being be- by the grave instability of lies he thinks Bolton is “a
hind leaks of information American foreign policy killer” on television, where
embarrassing to Trump. today,” Murphy tweeted. Bolton is a frequent face on
Bolton’s ouster came as “I’m no Bolton fan, but the Fox News, though the presi-
a surprise to many in the world is coming apart, and dent has voiced some un-
White House. Just an hour the revolving door of U.S. happiness about Bolton’s
before Trump’s tweet, the leadership is disappearing trademark mustache.q