John Bolton, Ambassador ofttimes to CloudCuckooLand has issued an embarrassing and highly calculated statement that he is willing to testify …
Screencap from CNN
Before the Senate, that is.
Listen:
STATEMENT OF JOHN R. BOLTON
Posted on January 6, 2020During the present impeachment controversy, I have tried to meet my obligations both as a citizen and as former National Security Advisor. My colleague, Dr. Charles Kupperman, faced with a House committee subpoena on the one hand, and a Presidential directive not to testify on the other, sought final resolution of this Constitutional conflict from the Federal judiciary. After my counsel informed the House committee that I too would seek judicial resolution of these Constitutional issues, the committee chose not to subpoena me. Nevertheless, I publicly resolved to be guided by the outcome of Dr. Kupperman’s case.
This fairly drips with a false nobility that nothing in Bolton’s past justifies. We have a clear abuse of power, a shakedown of a foreign government, and Bolton clearly has information vital to the case. But DEMOCRATS run the House of Representatives (given a mandate by the “Blue Wave” of 2018 that our mainstream media denied happening until even a blind man could tell that it had HAPPENED) and Mr. Bolton decided to play partisan politics rather than patriot.
The squirming on the question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin is quite evident in the first paragraph.
But both the President and the House of Representatives opposed his effort on jurisdictional grounds, and each other on the merits. The House committee went so far as to withdraw its subpoena to Dr. Kupperman in a deliberate attempt to moot the case and deprive the court of jurisdiction. Judge Richard Leon, in a carefully reasoned opinion on December 30, held Dr. Kupperman’s case to be moot, and therefore did not reach the separation-of-powers issues.
More rationalization and phony ratiocination. The issue is the crime, not the particulars of Mr. Bolton’s squeamishness about doing his duty as a citizen to present what he knew about the “drug deal” he wanted no part of.
The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts.
And this is easily translated: if Republicans subpoena me, I’ll testify, in direct contradiction to my position on whether a Democratic subpoena is legit.
Accordingly, since my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.
With all the nobility of Benedict Arnold, Bolton makes a statement to cover HIS ass. Party above country.
For More Updates, Follow Ambassador John Bolton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmbJohnBolton
Oh, and follow me on Twitter!
I take this to be a declaration of moral and intellectual bankruptcy. Of Bolton caring more about his positioning in the GOP than about the high crimes and misdemeanors carried out in his presence.
In other words, John Bolton’s allegiance to John Bolton trumps his loyalty to the Constitution, the Rule of Law, or the American people. “Citizen” in this case, is no more than a cliché tag, not actually backed by deeds.
The simple fact is, we know from testimony what Bolton’s take on the situation in Ukraine was. His refusal to testify (using the unique delaying tactic of using ANOTHER pending court case to determine whether his precious hands might get dirty … by telling the truth to the American people, whose paycheck he was happy to take, about high crimes and misdemeanors) speaks for itself.
Rarely have I witnessed such transparent hypocrisy (albeit carefully framed as “patriotism”) in the face of a crime, a trial or a declaration that a witness is willing to “tell the truth, the WHOLE truth and nothing BUT the truth.” So help us, John Bolton.
After all, this carefully contrived bit of self-justifying mendacity certainly indicates that Bolton already considers himself to be a tin god.
I have very little trust, given this rhetorical weaseling, the Mr. Bolton knows what the truth even is, given his need to carefully twist facts to meet his ends.
In Bolton’s mind, there seems a difference between Republican subpoenas and Democratic subpoenas. Party over Country, after all, right?
Welcome to our Constitutional Crisis.
Try not to get killed.
Courage.
Cross-posted from his vorpal sword
A writer, published author, novelist, literary critic and political observer for a quarter of a quarter-century more than a quarter-century, Hart Williams has lived in the American West for his entire life. Having grown up in Wyoming, Kansas and New Mexico, a survivor of Texas and a veteran of Hollywood, Mr. Williams currently lives in Oregon, along with an astonishing amount of pollen. He has a lively blog, His Vorpal Sword (no spaces) dot com.