Jimmy Carter Criticizes Donald Trump For Hiring John Bolton: ‘The Worst Mistake He’s Made’
Former president Jimmy Carter had harsh words for Donald Trump in light of the decision to hire John Bolton as national security adviser, calling the decision “the worst mistake [Trump] has made yet,” HuffPost is reporting.
On Monday, CBS released excerpts of an interview, scheduled to air today, in which the 39th president discusses his thoughts on a variety of issues. The 93-year-old was asked about his opinions on Trump’s appointment of Bolton, and the 93-year-old did not mince words — in particular, when it comes to the selection of John Bolton as national security adviser.
“I have been concerned at some of the things he’s decided. I think his last choice for national security adviser was very ill-advised. I think John Bolton has been the worst mistake he’s made.”
Bolton, who will officially assume the role on April 9, will be the third person to hold that position during the Trump administration. He will replace H.R. McMaster, with whom Trump frequently clashed, and before him, Michael Flynn, whose 24 days in office marked the shortest tenure in that position since it was created.
Criticism Of Bolton
According to a March 22 HuffPost report, Bolton has been criticized for being fervently pro-war.
How John Bolton and Mike Pompeo mainstreamed Islamophobia https://t.co/3d9NWfZ5OQ
— Vox (@voxdotcom) March 27, 2018
For example, before and during the Iraq War, Bolton continued to repeat the claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction in order to justify the war. It would later turn out that claims of WMDs in Iraq were spurious at best. Years later, he would say that, even though the initial justification for the war was wrong, it was still the right thing to do.
“I still think the decision to overthrow Saddam [Hussein] was correct.”
Similarly, Bolton has advocated for bombing both Iran and North Korea. He has suggested that Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jon-Un will fail, resulting in military action against the peninsula. Further, he even wrote a lengthy op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, titled “The Legal Case For Striking North Korea First,” in which he outlines his case for military action against the North.
“The threat is imminent.”
Further, according to the Nation, Bolton has “cozy relationships” with anti-Muslim advocates Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer. Their organization, the American Freedom Defense Initiative, has been described by the Anti-Defamation League as “consistently vilifying the Islamic faith under the guise of fighting radical Islam.” Similarly, the Southern Poverty Law Center describes Geller as “probably the best known—and the most unhinged—anti-Muslim ideologue in the United States.”
Cautious Support of Trump
Carter, meanwhile, has been one Democrat who’s been willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. He’s been wary of impeachment, advocating instead that Trump be allowed to finish his first term. Similarly, he’s said that he believes Trump “wants to do a good job.”
“And I’m willing to help him, if I can help him, and give him the benefit of the doubt.”
