Pentagon braces for John Bolton
Pentagon officials are bracing themselves for increased friction between the Defense Department and the White House with John Bolton’s pending arrival as President Trump’s national security adviser.
Bolton, who Trump selected to replace H.R. McMaster earlier this month, enters a Cabinet already rocked by the February ousting of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who differed with the president but was seen as having a good relationship with Defense Secretary James Mattis.
Mattis, who met Bolton for the first time this week, publicly stressed that he had “no reservations, no concerns at all,” in working with the hawkish former George W. Bush administration official.
“Last time I checked he’s an American. I can work with an American, OK? I’m not in the least bit concerned with that sort of thing,” Mattis said prior to the meeting.
And within the Pentagon, some were encouraged by the first exchange between Bolton and Mattis.
When Mattis received Bolton on the steps of the Pentagon on Thursday, he joked that he heard Bolton was “the devil incarnate.”
“Thank you for coming. It's good to finally meet you. I heard you’re actually the devil incarnate, and I wanted to meet you,” Mattis said, as captured by reporters' microphones.
http://thehill.com/policy/defense/381068-pentagon-braces-for-john-bolton?userid=229233
A chickenhawk who wants to take us to war. What could go wrong?
