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Bolton Vote Anticipated Today
Despite requests by Democrats for more time to investigate allegations of improper conduct by Undersecretary of State John Bolton, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee appeared set to vote today on his nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations (see GSN, April 18). “It is now time to make a decision,” committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said in a statement. “The charge that (Bolton) improperly sought to influence intelligence conclusions is a serious one,” Lugar said, “and it is reasonable to assess his conduct in his encounters. But no one should be surprised to find that episodes of conflict have occurred in this environment over the course of a four-year tenure.” While Republican committee members Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) have expressed reservations about Bolton, leaders from both parties said they expect Bolton to be supported by the GOP-controlled panel. The full Senate then would consider his nomination. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) said he had hoped for more time to investigate allegations against Bolton, the Post reported. “There are four new allegations since the hearing a week or so ago, serious ones. Some of the same type again, (involving) people whose jobs were threatened,” Dodd said. In one incident in the 1980s, when Bolton worked for the Justice Department, “He threatened a woman who needed maternity leave for health reasons,” Dodd said. “There’s a series of these things that are emerging here, a pattern,” he said. “Some of my colleagues have said, ‘Look, I need to see a pattern.’ I don’t know how much more of a pattern you need” (Charles Babington, Washington Post, April 19). Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.) also plans to request more time to investigate Bolton when the committee meets today, the New York Times reported. He is expected to discuss five allegations against the undersecretary, including efforts to remove three government officials from their jobs. “Senator Biden thinks we need to take more time to review the allegations that have been raised, and he hopes the majority will agree with that,” an aide to Biden said. Bolton acknowledged Monday in response to written questions from Democrats that he had sought information on 10 occasions since 2001 regarding the identity of U.S. officials who were involved in communications intercepted by the National Security Agency, the Times reported. Testifying last week before the committee, Bolton said he had asked for the information “on a couple occasions, maybe a few more.” The agency granted all 10 requests. Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, also spoke out against Bolton. “Do I think John Bolton would make a good ambassador to the United Nations? Absolutely not,” Wilkerson said. “He is incapable of listening to people and taking into account their views. He would be an abysmal ambassador” (Jehl/Weiseman, New York Times, April 19).
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