![New national security adviser John Bolton. - [Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/3/22/660x290/b_502x220x82/new-national-security-adviser-john-bolton-by-gage-skidmore-via-flickr_1901539.jpg "New national security adviser John Bolton. - [Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr]")
For weeks, the rumors have been swirling around President Trump’s national security adviser, Lt. General H.R. McMaster. Would he be fired? Would he resign? We now have the answer, as McMaster has resigned his post. He is being replaced by former UN Ambassador and Fox News contributor, John Bolton. The embattled, soon to be former national security adviser, had been rumored to be departing for weeks, and then, President Trump decided to congratulate Putin on his recent election win. Reportedly, this was after he had received a specific recommendation from McMaster not to congratulate Putin on the win.
Reports from the Washington Post provided all of the information in this article.
The leak
Soon after Trump’s congratulatory call to Putin, multiple news outlets began to report that Trump had congratulated Putin on his election win against the specific and forceful recommendations of his national security team, which included McMaster. In fact, as the national security adviser, it would be reasonable to assume that McMaster was the guiding hand and the single figure most responsible for the recommendation. The administration immediately lashed out at internal leaks but never denied that the president did, in fact, ignore the recommendations of his national security team. It was then only a matter of time before McMaster was out.
I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 22, 2018
Enter John Bolton
As a replacement for Lt.
General H.R. McMaster, President Trump has turned to former UN Ambassador, John Bolton, who is known more recently, as a frequent contributor to Fox News. Mr. Bolton is also known as a hard-liner, supporting breaking off from the Iran nuclear deal, and voicing support for potential preemptive military strikes against North Korea.
Concern about Bolton’s appointment is coming from around the world. Norbert Röttgen, chair of the foreign affairs committee of the lower house of the German Parliament, echoes many when he stated, “We are concerned that the policy is coming closer to the rhetoric.” Reaction from Democrats in the United States has been blunter, including former policy adviser to Hillary Clinton, Jake Sullivan. He stated that “John Bolton is reckless, arrogant, trigger-happy, and he treats people shabbily, including the public servants who have worked for him.”
Bolton on Russia
Interestingly, he is also a long-standing hard-liner against Russia. He has long advocated strong sanctions against Russia, has strongly condemned the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal, and has stated that Putin lied to Trump regarding his denial of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Bolton has also stated that attempts to interfere in United States elections constitute a “true act of war.” Regarding Trump’s congratulation to Putin however, Bolton has said it was insignificant, so as Bolton assumes the duties of national security adviser on April 9, time will tell if the Trump administration’s positioning regarding Russia will change.
