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More Interviews Planned on Bolton, as White House Boosts Effort to Secure Appointment
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has included former high-level CIA and State Department officials on a list of people to be interviewed in coming days regarding John Bolton’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, April 26). The list of up to 24 contacts includes former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin and one-time Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf. Both have remained publicly mum regarding Bolton’s nomination. Committee staffers also plan to speak with former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard, who has commented on his disagreements with the undersecretary of state (see GSN, April 22). The private interviews are expected to focus on questions about Bolton’s workplace conduct and his alleged efforts to influence intelligence analyses, the Times reported. State Department analyst Christian Westermann is set to be interviewed again. He previously told committee staff that Bolton tried to push him from his post when the two disagreed on the existence of a Cuban biological weapons program (see GSN, April 13). It was not known if Bolton will testify again before the committee, the Times reported (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, April 27). The Foreign Relations Committee does plan to submit a list of roughly 20 questions to Bolton, the Associated Press reported. The panel will be requesting e-mails and telephone logs that could relate to his disagreements in 2002 with intelligence analysts over Cuban weapons programs. Bolton himself was on Capitol Hill yesterday, AP reported. Aides to three Republican members of the Foreign Relations Committee who have expressed concerns about Bolton — Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) — said the nominee did not meet with the lawmakers. A spokeswoman for Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio) would not comment on any meeting. Murkowski said she would make her decision on Bolton when the committee votes on May 12. “At this point in time I have not been presented with anything that would change my mind,” she said (Lolita Baldor, Associated Press/ABC News, April 27). A vote count being prepared this week could show that the full GOP-controlled Senate would support Bolton’s nomination even if the committee does not issue a recommendation or even votes against his appointment, the Washington Post reported today. A “nose count that demonstrates majority support for Bolton ensures that any Democratic effort to drag heels again in committee is just struggling against the inevitable,” said a senior Senate Republican aide. On the Senate floor, Democrats would have to use a filibuster or turn several Republicans against Bolton to block his appointment, the Post reported. The Bush administration’s greatest concerns focus on Voinovich and Hagel, who have not indicated which way they are prepared to vote. The White House is issuing responses to allegations against Bolton, and pressing its case that he is the best man to clean up the United Nations, according to the Post. “A vote for John Bolton will be a vote for change at the United Nations,” said Dan Bartlett, senior adviser to President George W. Bush. “A vote against will be for the status quo. The president believes the status quo is unacceptable and wants a person … who will be an agent for change” (VandeHei/Babington, Washington Post, April 27). Vice President Dick Cheney and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove also met or called Republican senators yesterday to promote Bolton’s nomination, the New York Times reported. While there is concern that a loss in this matter could hurt Bush politically, some Republicans said the White House could appear more open to multilateral cooperation with other nations if Bolton goes down. “Losing this might actually be beneficial,” said a GOP lobbyist close to the White House. “I think what will happen is that it will just atrophy on the Hill. And Bolton will just withdraw. I don’t know if there will be indications from the White House, there will just be a lack of activity” (Elisabeth Bumiller, New York Times, April 27).
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