President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he has asked national security adviser John Bolton to resign, noting that he “strongly disagreed with many of his suggestions as did others in the administration.”
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning,” Trump tweeted. “I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week,” he added.
The tweet came just one hour after the White House press office said Bolton was scheduled to appear at a Tuesday press briefing alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy released the following statement:
“We’re now headed for our fourth national security advisor in less than three years. This revolving door of American leadership is devastating to our nation’s security as our allies now turn to more stable nations – like China and Russia – as our foreign policy infrastructure falls apart,” said Murphy. “John Bolton was the wrong choice and the silver lining to this instability is that there will be fewer people whispering war chants in the president’s ear. But no one of any quality is going to take a job in the nation’s national security cabinet so long as everyone’s head is permanently hovering slightly above the chopping block.”
John Bolton took to Twitter minutes after President Trump, saying he “offered to resign last night, and President Trump said ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.'”
CNN reported last week that tensions between top figures on Trump’s national security team had devolved into all-out hostility, creating a deep disconnect between staffers on the National Security Council, led by Bolton, and the rest of the administration, six people familiar with the matter said.
