Republican lawmakers were shocked by President Trump’s decision to fire national security adviser John Bolton, who was well-liked and respected in Republican circles on Capitol Hill.
“I’m very disappointed,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe said as he walked through the Capitol Tuesday.
President Trump did not call Inhofe to inform the Oklahoma Republican of the decision. Instead, Inhofe heard the news from one of his staffers, who learned about it from a radio report.
“I don’t know whether he was fired or he resigned,” Inhofe said. “I know what the president said and what he said. He’s one of my closest friends. He’s one of the most knowledgeable people that I know, and I’m disappointed that that association has been dissolved.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski just heard about Bolton’s departure as she was walking into the chamber to vote.
“Wow,” said the Alaska Republican, when asked by a reporter for a reaction.
While Bolton had his share of critics, most Republicans valued his foreign policy experience and pro-military stance.
“A lot of people up here thought a lot of him,” Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-South Dakota, said. “He’s obviously very knowledgeable. But obviously, they had a difference of opinion, and it sounds like they weren’t compatible in the way they wanted to go about doing things.”
[Related: ‘I resigned’: Bolton fights back after Trump says he fired him]
Lawmakers said they didn’t expect Trump to fire Bolton, despite media reports that the president had split with him on key issues and had begun to sideline him from important meetings.
“I was surprised,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. “I happen to be a fan, but obviously, the president gets to choose who his advisers are, and I respect that.”
Bolton took a harder stance than Trump on major foreign policy moves, including North Korean sanctions and troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Bolton was opposed to a draft peace deal with the Taliban that would have resulted in a major U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in exchange for an anti-terrorism pledge from the Taliban.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said the loss of Bolton’s foreign policy expertise from the Trump Cabinet is bad for the nation.
“He’s a brilliant man,” Romney said. “And his alternative point of view, I would hope, would be welcomed in decision-making circles.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut, who opposed Bolton’s appointment to the position, said Trump’s decision to fire him signals instability in American foreign policy.
“I think this is super dangerous for us in the world, and somebody has got to convince this president to get his act together,” Murphy said.
Inhofe downplayed the concerns about the state of Trump’s foreign policy.
“I do think they are going to be missing a lot of real value by not having John Bolton there,” Inhofe said. “Unfortunately, personalities override a lot of other things, and I’ve seen this happen in other administrations, not just this administration. “
Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, who frequently criticizes the turnover in Trump’s Cabinet, chimed in with a statement saying Bolton’s firing is “just the latest example of his government-by-chaos approach and his rudderless national security policy.”
