Former Trump Advisor John Bolton Announces Resumption of Political Action Committee

Then White House National Security Advisor John Bolton talks to reporters outside of the White House in Washington on April 30, 2019. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton announced on Saturday that he will be resuming his political action committee (PAC) after speculation surrounded his plans on what he would do next.

Bolton’s comment comes after having spent a two-month break from the social media platform where he blamed the White House for refusing him access since he was dismissed. In response, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Bolton’s “advanced age” could be blamed for being locked out of his Twitter, reported Washington Examiner.

According to the PAC website, John Bolton PAC seeks “to identify and support Senate and House candidates committed to policies promoting a strong America.

“The John Bolton PAC and John Bolton Super PAC seek a strong, clear, and dependable U.S. national security policy, resting on constancy and resolve,” Bolton said.

Five incumbent Republicans who are up for reelection in 2020 have been endorsed by Bolton.

“The experience that these incumbent members of Congress have provides them with a remarkable understanding and knowledge of the threats we face from international terrorism and rogue regimes such as Iran and North Korea.”

Since joining the administration in early 2018, Bolton has espoused skepticism about the president’s relations with North Korea and has advocated against President Donald Trump’s decision in 2018 to pull U.S. troops out of Syria.

He masterminded a quiet campaign inside the administration and with allies abroad to persuade Trump to keep U.S. forces in Syria to counter the remnants of the ISIS terrorist group and Iranian influence in the region.

Bolton was ousted by Trump on Sept. 10 as he wanted to do things not in alignment with Trump’s administration.

“John wasn’t in line with what we were doing,” Trump told reporters on Sept. 11.

“John is somebody that I actually get along with very well. He made some very big mistakes when he talked about the Libyan model for Kim Jong Un. That was not a good statement to make. You just take a look at what happened with Gaddafi. That was not a good statement to make. And it set us back,” Trump said.

Bolton’s firing came after Trump said talks with the Taliban were “dead” after secret Camp David talks were canceled.

“They’re dead. They’re dead. As far as I’m concerned, they’re dead,” Trump told White House reporters on Monday, Sept. 9.

No Testimony Without Subpoena in Impeachment Inquiry

Bolton was formally asked to testify on Nov. 7 before the three House committees leading the impeachment inquiry.

According to several reports, he was scheduled to testify starting at 9 a.m. local time, but he didn’t show up.

Bolton’s attorney Chuck Cooper said that Bolton will not appear to answer questions from Congress in the impeachment inquiry against Trump without a subpoena.

Lawmakers want to hear from Bolton after other witnesses told them of his concerns with Trump’s dealings in Ukraine and the backchannel activities of Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer.

Ivan Pentchoukov, Jack Phillips, and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report