Trump ousts hawkish Bolton, dissenter on foreign policy

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly forced out John Bolton, his hawkish national security adviser with whom he had strong disagreements on Iran, Afghanistan and a cascade of other global challenges. Bolton responded in a tweet of his own that he offered to resign Monday “and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’” Trump explained that he had “disagreed strongly” with many of Bolton’s suggestions as national security adviser, “as did others in the administration.” Bolton’s letter of resignation, dated Tuesday, was only two sentences long. He added that Trump has been clear that he is willing to meet with Rouhani “with no preconditions.” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who appeared with Pompeo at the White House, volunteered, “The president’s view of the Iraq war and Ambassador Bolton’s was very different.” A former Bush administration official, Bolton has championed hawkish foreign policy views dating back to the Reagan administration and became a household name over his vociferous support for the Iraq war as the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. under George W. Bush. Tehran calls the U.S. sanctions on Iran “economic terrorism.” Pompeo said, “I don’t think any leader around the world should make any assumption that because some one of us departs that President Trump’s foreign policy will change in a material way.” Bolton’s well-known foreign policy views and harsh rhetoric for U.S. foes had turned him into a convenient boogeyman for the likes of North Korea and Iran, which have assailed him in the media. “But no one of any quality is going to take a job in the nation’s national security cabinet so long as everyone’s head is permanently hovering slightly above the chopping block.” But Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, the GOP’s 2012 nominee for president, bemoaned Bolton’s ouster, calling it “an enormous loss for the country and for the administration.” He added that “in decision making you want people who disagree and who offer a very different perspective.” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Charles Kupperman, the deputy national security adviser and a former Reagan administration official and defense contracting executive, would fill Bolton’s role on an acting basis.