Bolton on whether Kim was responsible for Warmbier's death: 'My opinion doesn't matter'

[DonViejo]

Source: The Hill



BY MICHAEL BURKE - 03/03/19 09:50 AM EST

National security adviser John Bolton said Sunday that his opinion "doesn't matter" when asked if he believes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier, the American college student who died after being imprisoned there.

“My opinion doesn’t matter," Bolton said during an interview on CNN's "State of the Union" when pressed on the subject by host Jake Tapper.

Link to tweet

Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/432362-bolton-says-my-opinion-doesnt-matter-when-asked-if-he-believes-kim

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Bolton: Trump taking Kim's word on Warmbier 'doesn’t mean that he accepts it as reality'

BY BRETT SAMUELS - 03/03/19 09:47 AM EST

National security adviser John Bolton on Sunday argued that just because President Trump said he took North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's word that the strongman did not know about the death of American Otto Warmbier, the president may not actually believe it.

"When he says 'I’m going to take him at his word,' it doesn’t mean that he accepts it as reality. It means that he accepts that was what Kim Jong Un said," Bolton said on "Fox News Sunday."

Anchor Chris Wallace pressed Bolton on Trump's habit of giving credence to the explanations of autocrats over evidence presented by U.S. intelligence agencies. Bolton suggested that Trump's efforts to negotiate American interests is more complex than addressing one particular statement from a foreign leader.

In addition to Kim, Trump has previously cited Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's denial that he was involved in the death of Jamal Khashoggi, and Russian president Vladimir Putin's insistence that he did not know of efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. election.

"In the case of all three of those countries we’ve got to pursue American national interests and that involves matters much weightier, much more important than some of these statements by the leaders," Bolton said.

"Look, foreign leaders who are friends of ours lie to our face as well," he added. "This is nothing new in international relations."

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/432363-bolton-trump-taking-kims-word-on-warmbier-doesnt-mean-that-he

[Freethinker65]

1. Cleanup on aisle 1...WTF is he doing as an Advisor if his opinion doesn't matter?

And Trump should take some ESL classes if he does not understand commonly used idioms.

[Girard442]

2. Bolton talks like someone in the Stalin regime who's being careful not to get liquidated.

[Guilded Lilly]

3. Ah, the Age of Nothing Matters. To quote the no-account Cretin:"Bullshit" n/t

[JDC]

4. He is a coward

[pamdb]

5. Bolton

Is there room up trumps ass for all the people climbing into it.
p.s. The mustache must tickle.

[Solly Mack]

6. His opinion doesn't matter to me but that is a cowardly answer coming from someone in his position.

[area51]

7. "... it doesn't mean that he accepts it as reality."

Yeah, it f-ing well does.

[modrepub]

8. He Certainly Had Opinions Under Democratic Administrations Didn't He?!?

Now, not so much.

[olegramps]

9. This is what is expected from a fascist.

Bolton was a member of the neo-cons who published the PNAC document that called for the invasion of Iraq and Iran to secure the oil fields. He is a disciple of the Cheney bastards that took us to war in Iraq at the cost of billions and most importantly the lost lives of our troops and thousands maimed for life. That he holds a position in government is scandalous. The cancelation of the Iran nuclear agreement and the imposition of additional restrictions is solely designed to provide these fascists and excuse to start a war with Iran.

[LuckyLib]

10. They keep shoveling it. Turning himself into a pretzel:

"When he says 'I’m going to take him at his word,' it doesn’t mean that he accepts it as reality. It means that he accepts that was what Kim Jong Un said," Bolton said on "Fox News Sunday."

[Mc Mike]

11. Odd. Normally, he's such a truculent xenophobe.

But he's a repug, so well-skilled in hypercritical double think.

[keithbvadu2]

12. Weasel words

[LiberalLovinLug]

13. He's only the National Security Advisor after all

[Nitram]

14. This is probably the first time in history Bolton has said the words "my opinion doesn't matter."

[Evolve Dammit]

15. Right; which translates to "I am blindly loyal to Herr Tweeter" and have no ideas to the contrary

[keithbvadu2]

16. Trump is a believer