Former US national security advisor John Bolton on Tuesday, admitted on television that he has helped plan coups in other countries. On the other hand, he argued that the January 6, 2021 riot in Washington fell short of such efforts.
The attack on the US Capitol was the result of then-president Donald Trump “just stumbling around from one idea to another,” Bolton told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “As somebody who has helped plan coups d’etat, not here, but, you know, other places, it takes a lot of work,” he said.
Bolton – Trump’s national security advisor from 2018 to 2019 – did not specifically point out which governments he had helped or planned to overthrow. But while he was in his post, Bolton pushed for US military intervention in Venezuela.
January 6 was “not an attack on our democracy. It’s Donald Trump looking out for Donald Trump. It’s a once in a lifetime occurrence,” said Bolton. “Ultimately, he did unleash the rioters at the Capitol. As to that, there’s no doubt. But not to overthrow the Constitution, to buy more time, to throw the matter back to the states, to try and redo the issue,” he added.
Bolton served in the US Departments of Justice and State during three Republican administrations. He first served under Ronald Reagan’s in the 1980s. Under former president George W. Bush, Bolton served as the US ambassador to the United Nations. For decades, the hawkish Bolton has been recognised by his big white moustache.
Bolton repeatedly pushed for the US invasion of Iraq. He has voiced support for bombing Iran and North Korea. He advocated an interventionist approach to foreign policy that put him at loggerheads with Trump, who sacked him in 2019.
