Advising Bolton Is a 'Shadow N.S.C.'

[DonViejo]

Source: The New York Times



By Kenneth P. Vogel

May 21, 2018

WASHINGTON — In the weeks after President Trump chose John Bolton to be his third national security adviser in March, Mr. Bolton, a veteran of the George W. Bush State Department whose bellicose manner kept him from a high-level job at the beginning of the Trump administration, engaged in his own speeded-up transition process, aided by a handful of longtime associates.

Drawn from the world of conservative politics, international consulting and defense contracting, and working out of the downtown Washington offices of Mr. Bolton’s political organizations, the group of advisers provided advice on National Security Council operations, while helping to vet prospective new hires for views that would be compatible with his own.

Nearly two months into Mr. Bolton’s tenure, some people familiar with the N.S.C. say the influence of his associates can be seen in the agency’s effort to crackdown on leaks, as well as an exodus of agency staff and a roster of candidates now under consideration to take their place, and have taken to calling the associates a “shadow N.S.C.”

One of Mr. Bolton’s longtime associates, Charles M. Kupperman, a former Reagan administration official and defense contracting executive, has taken a temporary leadership post on the N.S.C., while at least three others — Frederick H. Fleitz, Sarah Tinsley and David Wurmser — are believed to be under consideration for posts.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/21/us/politics/advising-bolton-a-shadow-nsc-of-cronies.html

[sandensea]

1. Just what we needed. PNAC toadies.

i.e. the 9/11 Group.

[McKim]

6. We Need to Keep Talking about PNAC

Thanks for mentioning PNAC. Many have foregotten about them and many have never heard of them in the intervening years since the start of the War on Iraq. They need to be named, exposed and mentioned everywhere on the net. Americans need this information to understand today’s events.

[sandensea]

7. Absolutely. As John Bolton just proved, they're still very much in the game.

As corruptible, treasonous, and downright impressionable as Cheeto is, the stage for a "new Pearl Harbor" appears to be set (God damn them).

[lagomorph777]

2. People even crazier than Bolton?

[MBS]

3. This is downright scary.

[flibbitygiblets]

4. So the New York Times is saying we have a shadow government?

Is that what I just fucking read?

[0rganism]

9. seeing how Agent Orange has proclaimed its existence for months ("deep state! deep state! eek!")

and, according to the well-known 1st law of GOP statecraft ("accuse your opponents of planning to do what you're already doing"), it's been in the works for at least a year and public knowledge for quite a while. so my question is why the NYT is only getting around to reporting on it now...

[Mc Mike]

5. The shadow NSC is the JBS, right?

[sandensea]

8. John Birch Society?

God knows there are a lot of those in the current administration too (including Pence, I believe).

[Mc Mike]

10. I think there are a lot of them, too. nt