Trump fires national security adviser Bolton

President Trump announced he had fired national security adviser John Bolton in a pair of tweets on Tuesday, ousting the high-profile officials just days after he canceled a planned meeting with Taliban representatives at Camp David.

Trump said in a series of tweets that he told Bolton on Monday night “that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” citing disagreements with many of Bolton’s suggestions, though he didn’t provide specific details.

{mosads}The president also said that “others in the administration” disagreed with Bolton’s suggestions, a wording that hinted at the level of acrimony in the split.

“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,” Trump tweeted.

He said Bolton submitted his resignation on Tuesday and that he would tap a new national security adviser next week.

“I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week,” Trump tweeted. 

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….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019

….I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 10, 2019

Shortly after Trump’s announcement, Bolton issued a tweet that said he had resigned and that suggested he was surprised by Trump’s decision to make it public on Tuesday.

“I offered to resign last night and President Trump said ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” he tweeted.

I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”

— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) September 10, 2019

White House press staff declined to elaborate beyond the president’s tweet. Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said on Fox News that he didn’t want to get into the “back and forth” over how Bolton exited, but he asserted that Trump did ask for Bolton’s resignation.

“The fact is, the president makes these decisions. We all serve at his pleasure, and we’re moving forward,” he said.

Gidley later told reporters at the White House that there was not one particular disagreement that triggered Bolton’s ouster on Tuesday. 

“There is no one issue here,” Gidley said. “They just didn’t align on many issues.”

Deputy national security adviser Charles Kupperman will take over Bolton’s job on an interim basis.

Trump’s tweet came just 63 minutes after the White House sent out an updated Tuesday schedule showing Bolton was set to give an afternoon press conference along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The White House later clarified that Bolton would not be at the briefing.

His ouster represents the latest episode of tumult on Trump’s national security team, which has endured several shakeups since the start of his administration, including atop the Pentagon, State Department and intelligence community. Several leading officials have resigned after falling out of favor with Trump.

Bolton, appointed in March 2018, was the president’s third national security adviser.

Bolton was brought into the administration roughly 18 months ago as a more hawkish influence and someone with past administrative experience, having served in the Reagan administration and under former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

But he clashed with Pompeo, and his influence steadily waned throughout his tenure, which was marked by a number of high-profile instances of the president breaking with Bolton’s views.

Bolton came into the administration a fierce opponent of Iranian influence and a past supporter of regime change. While the Trump administration has hammered Iran with sanctions, the president has in recent months expressed an openness to meeting with Iranian leaders, a clear contrast to his national security adviser.

The president publicly rebuked Bolton during a trip to Japan earlier this year when he said he was not bothered by North Korea testing missile projectiles shortly after the adviser cited it as a violation of a United Nations resolution.

Bolton was also a leading voice in the effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. But months after the U.S. backed an opposition leader, Maduro remains in power, and Trump has reportedly grown frustrated with the stagnant situation.

The controversial Camp David meeting planned with the Taliban may have been a final disagreement between Trump and the adviser.

Trump surprised the world on Saturday by announcing he had scrapped plans to invite the Taliban to Camp David for talks about a potential peace agreement that would allow for U.S. troops to withdraw from Afghanistan.

Bolton was reportedly vehemently opposed to the meeting, which would have occurred days before the 18^th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Trump, however, has denied reports that Bolton and Vice President Pence disagreed with his plan to invite the Taliban to Washington. 

Trump said  he had canceled the meeting after the Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in Kabul that killed 12 people, including one American service member.

Bolton’s resignation reverberated across Capitol Hill, where lawmakers had just returned from the six-week summer recess. It inspired mixed reactions from Republicans, with some expressing support for Trump’s move and others disappointment. 

“His view was not always the same as everybody else in the room. That’s why you wanted him there. The fact that he was a contrarian from time to time is an asset not a liability,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told reporters. 

“I’m very very unhappy to hear that he’s leaving. It is a huge loss for the administration in my opinion and for the nation,” Romney said. 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), meanwhile, “commended” Trump for what he described as a “necessary action.” 

“The President has great instincts on foreign policy and ending our endless wars. He should be served by those who share those views,” Paul wrote on Twitter. 

It is not clear who Trump will consider to replace Bolton. The national security adviser position does not require Senate confirmation.

Trump tapped Bolton, who served as ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush, to replace H.R. McMaster. 

McMaster, who was ousted after also frequently clashing with Trump on various issues, was brought on to replace short-lived national security adviser Michael Flynn and served in the White House post for about a year.  

Flynn was forced to resign just weeks after Trump’s inauguration when it was revealed that he misled Pence and other administration officials about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the transition. 

Flynn later pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and agreed to cooperate in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

Updated at 1:17 p.m.