Former national security adviser John Bolton exited the White House in September after a series of fundamental disputes with President Trump over foreign policy challenges in hotbed regions such as Iran, North Korea, and Afghanistan. But it seems Bolton was also concerned about another region: Ukraine.
In fact, Bolton was so alarmed by the nature of Trump’s phone call with Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelensky that he told an aide to alert White House lawyers about the potential conflict of interest, according to the New York Times.
The aide — Fiona Hill, who was also the White House’s top Russia adviser — testified in a closed-door hearing for nearly 10 hours on Capitol Hill yesterday. According to reports, she explained how Trump’s Ukraine actions led to tense disputes among national security advisers, State Department, and White House officials alike.
Bolton’s main concern? Rudy Giuliani.
“Giuliani’s a hand grenade who’s going to blow everybody up,” Hill quoted Bolton saying.
Giuliani has been at the center of the Ukraine controversy since its beginning. During his conversation with Zelensky, Trump urged the Ukrainian president to speak to his personal lawyer about potential dirt on Joe Biden. Shortly after, Giuliani met with a series of Ukrainian officials despite the fact that he did not have the security clearance or authorization to serve as a liaison between the United States and Ukraine.
Giuliani set himself up as a back channel, circumventing the White House’s national security protocol to run his own negotiations alongside Gordon Sondland, Trump’s ambassador to the European Union, and Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s acting chief of staff, Hill said during her testimony. Giuliani’s actions alarmed State Department officials, who felt like they would be forced to clean up Giuliani’s mess, she said.
Bolton knew Giuliani and Sondland’s efforts were going to blow up in Trump’s face because he instructed Hill to go to the White House lawyers and absolve herself from the situation. “I am not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up,” Bolton instructed Hill to tell the lawyers, according to the Times.
Say what you will about Bolton, but he saw things clearly. He knew Giuliani would be a national security risk, and he understood that Trump’s dealings with Ukraine were questionable at best and illegal at worst. From what we know of Bolton and Trump’s combative relationship, it’s likely Bolton took his concerns directly to the president.
It seems the Ukraine controversy was one of the final strikes that led Bolton to resign (though Trump claims he fired Bolton). Trump’s phone call with Zelensky took place in July, Giuliani’s shadow maneuvering continued through August, and Bolton’s exit occurred in September. The calendar lines up, as do Bolton’s frustrations.
Bolton’s hawkish foreign policy is worth criticizing. But on this, he was right. If only Trump had listened.
