John Bolton, who served in four U.S. Republican administrations, admitted on July 12, 2022 to helping plan coup d'etat abroad. (Photo: Christopher Halloran via Shutterstock)
Jul 12, 2022
Longtime Republican official John Bolton admitted during a televised interview Tuesday that he has helped plan coups outside of the United States.
Bolton, who served as former President Donald Trump's national security adviser, appeared on CNN to discuss the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
After Bolton claimed that Trump's lies about the 2020 presidential election that provoked last year's Capitol attack were not part of "a carefully planned coup d'etat aimed at the Constitution," host Jake Tapper said that "I don't know that I agree with you, to be fair, with all due respect. One doesn't have to be brilliant to attempt a coup."
Bolton responded that "I disagree with that. As somebody who has helped plan coups d'etat, not here, but, you know, other places, it takes a lot of work. And that's not what he did."
\u201cJake Tapper follows up on John Bolton's past coup planning.\n\nBolton: "I\u2019m not going to get into the specifics, but--"\n\nTapper: "Successful coups?"\n\nBolton brings up the failed Venezuelan coup, prompting Tapper to add: "I feel like there\u2019s other stuff you\u2019re not telling me."\u201d— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1657657834
Tapper followed up on coup comments, and Bolton--who also held roles in the administrations of former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush--initially said that "I'm not gonna get into the specifics."
Bolton then pointed out that in his recently released book, he wrote about the failed effort to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in 2019. The Trump administration notably backed opposition leader Juan Guaido.
However, as reporters and others--such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)--were quick to highlight, Bolton has a long history of supporting such efforts.
As HuffPostdetailed Tuesday:
In 2004, while Bolton was serving in the State Department, the U.S. faced allegations of backing the overthrow of Haiti's president. A former French ambassador toldThe New York Times this year that the U.S. and France had "effectively orchestrated" the coup.
Bolton has a long history of advocating for coups and supporting regime change plots. He advocated for regime change in Iraq ahead of a war he helped orchestrate and said in 2018 that the United States should overthrow the government of Iran.
Critics of Bolton shared a range of reactions on social media.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch tweeted that "I've been investigating U.S. imperialism for decades, and...he...just...blurted...it...out."
\u201cIt\u2019s a wild quote because he admits on camera to planning coups while declaring he\u2019s brilliant. \n\nApparently not brilliant enough to not admit that on camera!\u201d— Nina Turner (@Nina Turner) 1657661484
"America in one clip," More Perfect Union's Jordan Zakarinsaid of the interview, describing Bolton as "a bloodthirsty right-wing war hawk" who was given a platform to "brazenly admit to secret war crimes without worrying about any consequences whatsoever."
"It's just a little oopsies, a meme for a few days," Zakarin added, declaring that "this is even more embarrassing for CNN."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Longtime Republican official John Bolton admitted during a televised interview Tuesday that he has helped plan coups outside of the United States.
Bolton, who served as former President Donald Trump's national security adviser, appeared on CNN to discuss the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
After Bolton claimed that Trump's lies about the 2020 presidential election that provoked last year's Capitol attack were not part of "a carefully planned coup d'etat aimed at the Constitution," host Jake Tapper said that "I don't know that I agree with you, to be fair, with all due respect. One doesn't have to be brilliant to attempt a coup."
Bolton responded that "I disagree with that. As somebody who has helped plan coups d'etat, not here, but, you know, other places, it takes a lot of work. And that's not what he did."
\u201cJake Tapper follows up on John Bolton's past coup planning.\n\nBolton: "I\u2019m not going to get into the specifics, but--"\n\nTapper: "Successful coups?"\n\nBolton brings up the failed Venezuelan coup, prompting Tapper to add: "I feel like there\u2019s other stuff you\u2019re not telling me."\u201d— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1657657834
Tapper followed up on coup comments, and Bolton--who also held roles in the administrations of former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush--initially said that "I'm not gonna get into the specifics."
Bolton then pointed out that in his recently released book, he wrote about the failed effort to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in 2019. The Trump administration notably backed opposition leader Juan Guaido.
However, as reporters and others--such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)--were quick to highlight, Bolton has a long history of supporting such efforts.
As HuffPostdetailed Tuesday:
In 2004, while Bolton was serving in the State Department, the U.S. faced allegations of backing the overthrow of Haiti's president. A former French ambassador toldThe New York Times this year that the U.S. and France had "effectively orchestrated" the coup.
Bolton has a long history of advocating for coups and supporting regime change plots. He advocated for regime change in Iraq ahead of a war he helped orchestrate and said in 2018 that the United States should overthrow the government of Iran.
Critics of Bolton shared a range of reactions on social media.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch tweeted that "I've been investigating U.S. imperialism for decades, and...he...just...blurted...it...out."
\u201cIt\u2019s a wild quote because he admits on camera to planning coups while declaring he\u2019s brilliant. \n\nApparently not brilliant enough to not admit that on camera!\u201d— Nina Turner (@Nina Turner) 1657661484
"America in one clip," More Perfect Union's Jordan Zakarinsaid of the interview, describing Bolton as "a bloodthirsty right-wing war hawk" who was given a platform to "brazenly admit to secret war crimes without worrying about any consequences whatsoever."
"It's just a little oopsies, a meme for a few days," Zakarin added, declaring that "this is even more embarrassing for CNN."
Longtime Republican official John Bolton admitted during a televised interview Tuesday that he has helped plan coups outside of the United States.
Bolton, who served as former President Donald Trump's national security adviser, appeared on CNN to discuss the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
After Bolton claimed that Trump's lies about the 2020 presidential election that provoked last year's Capitol attack were not part of "a carefully planned coup d'etat aimed at the Constitution," host Jake Tapper said that "I don't know that I agree with you, to be fair, with all due respect. One doesn't have to be brilliant to attempt a coup."
Bolton responded that "I disagree with that. As somebody who has helped plan coups d'etat, not here, but, you know, other places, it takes a lot of work. And that's not what he did."
\u201cJake Tapper follows up on John Bolton's past coup planning.\n\nBolton: "I\u2019m not going to get into the specifics, but--"\n\nTapper: "Successful coups?"\n\nBolton brings up the failed Venezuelan coup, prompting Tapper to add: "I feel like there\u2019s other stuff you\u2019re not telling me."\u201d— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1657657834
Tapper followed up on coup comments, and Bolton--who also held roles in the administrations of former Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush--initially said that "I'm not gonna get into the specifics."
Bolton then pointed out that in his recently released book, he wrote about the failed effort to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in 2019. The Trump administration notably backed opposition leader Juan Guaido.
However, as reporters and others--such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)--were quick to highlight, Bolton has a long history of supporting such efforts.
As HuffPostdetailed Tuesday:
In 2004, while Bolton was serving in the State Department, the U.S. faced allegations of backing the overthrow of Haiti's president. A former French ambassador toldThe New York Times this year that the U.S. and France had "effectively orchestrated" the coup.
Bolton has a long history of advocating for coups and supporting regime change plots. He advocated for regime change in Iraq ahead of a war he helped orchestrate and said in 2018 that the United States should overthrow the government of Iran.
Critics of Bolton shared a range of reactions on social media.
Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Will Bunch tweeted that "I've been investigating U.S. imperialism for decades, and...he...just...blurted...it...out."
\u201cIt\u2019s a wild quote because he admits on camera to planning coups while declaring he\u2019s brilliant. \n\nApparently not brilliant enough to not admit that on camera!\u201d— Nina Turner (@Nina Turner) 1657661484
"America in one clip," More Perfect Union's Jordan Zakarinsaid of the interview, describing Bolton as "a bloodthirsty right-wing war hawk" who was given a platform to "brazenly admit to secret war crimes without worrying about any consequences whatsoever."
"It's just a little oopsies, a meme for a few days," Zakarin added, declaring that "this is even more embarrassing for CNN."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.