Democrats Seek Details on Improper Conduct Allegations Against Bolton

Senate Democrats yesterday were trying to line up interviews with intelligence officials who have worked with U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton and seeking additional details regarding allegations of improper conduct by the White House pick for U.N. ambassador, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 20).

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hopes to interview former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin, another CIA official and a National Intelligence Council official regarding Bolton’s reported effort to have a CIA analyst fired, according to a Democratic staff member.

Bolton testified last week that he did not seek the analyst’s dismissal. Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) has asked the three officials whether Bolton ever talked to them about having the analyst fired, an aide to Dodd said.

Ranking Senate Intelligence Committee Democrat Jay Rockefeller (W.Va.) has asked the National Security Agency for information regarding previous requests for intelligence from Bolton, AP reported (Anne Gearan, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 21).

The continued stream of questions about Bolton’s behavior could cause his nomination to crumble, the New York Times reported.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed a vote on the appointment Tuesday to avoid a possible tie vote when Republican Senator George Voinovich (Ohio) expressed concerns about Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.

When asked yesterday if his support for the nomination had lessened, Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) said, “That would be accurate.”

With all eight Democrats on the 18-member committee expected to oppose Bolton, a no vote by any Republican member would send the nomination to the Senate floor without a recommendation.

Chafee said it is “hard to predict” Bolton’s chances, according to the Times. Republicans on the committee might look into making a case for the withdrawal of the nomination, Chafee told CNN.

“I think Republicans, we ought to get together and talk about this,” he said.

The Bush administration backed Bolton yesterday and blasted Democrats trying to undo his appointment.

Bolton is “the right person to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations at what is a really quite critical time,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Jehl/Stolberg, New York Times, April 21).

The White House has been pressing Chafee and Voinovich to support the nomination, the Washington Post reported (Babington/VandeHei, Washington Post, April 21).

“I think what you're seeing is some Democrats on the committee trumping up allegations and making unsubstantiated accusations against someone the president believes will do an outstanding job at the United Nations,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

“I think what you're seeing is the ugly side of Washington, D.C., that people are playing politics with his nomination,” he added (White House press briefing, April 20).

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