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Bolton Vote Could Be Delayed Again
A Senate committee vote on Undersecretary of State John Bolton’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations could be delayed again as Democrats press their case for access to additional documents, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, May 5). Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee want to see e-mail messages, memos, correspondence and draft testimony related to disputes between Bolton and intelligence analysts over the extent of Syria’s weapons programs. However, committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) has not supported their request to the State Department. Ranking committee Democrat Joseph Biden (D-Del.) made his case for access in a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Times reported. “The documents in question go directly to an issue the committee has been pursuing, namely whether in speeches and testimony, Mr. Bolton sought to exaggerate the conclusions that could reasonably be drawn from available intelligence,” the letter states. Biden indicated that Democrats could delay the scheduled May 12 vote if the State Department fails “to produce the requested documents in a timely manner.” A spokesman said the department would “respond to all agreed-upon requests.” The Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees have asked the State Department and National Security Agency for details on Bolton’s requests for NSA transcripts of intercepted conversations involving U.S. officials, according to the Times. At issue is whether Bolton exceeded his authority as undersecretary in obtaining the documents. Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) and the office of National Intelligence Director John Negroponte are negotiating on the issue, a government official said (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, May 6). Foreign Relations Committee staffers plan to interview Larry Wilkerson, chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Washington Post reported today. Wilkerson has criticized Bolton and could offer insight on Powell’s thoughts on the questions regarding his former subordinate’s conduct, a Democratic aide said (see GSN, April 22). Meanwhile, Bolton’s nomination received additional support from both sides of the Atlantic. “John Bolton is eminently qualified,” said former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. “He’s one of the smartest guys in Washington.” “It was the president’s choice and I support my president,” said Armitage, a close friend of Powell’s who clashed repeatedly with Bolton at the State Department (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, May 6). Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in a May 4 letter to Bolton that she “cannot imagine anyone better fitted to undertake these tasks than you,” Agence France-Presse reported. “To combine, as you do, clarity of thought, courtesy of expression and an unshakable commitment to justice is rare in any walk of life. But it is particularly so in international affairs,” wrote Thatcher, a friend of the nominee. “A capacity for straight talking rather than peddling half-truths is a strength and not a disadvantage in diplomacy” (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 5).
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