Plot Twist: Twitter Users Stunned By Reports Bolton Objected On Ukraine
Twitter users were stunned by reports late Monday that former national security adviser John Bolton was so concerned about attempts to pressure Ukraine for dirt on the president’s political rivals that he ordered an aide to contact White House attorneys.
Several news agencies reported that Fiona Hill, formerly the top Russia adviser in the administration of President Donald Trump, gave lawmakers the scoop on the machinations inside the White House.
The New York Times said she testified on a “tense exchange” between Bolton and Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union who was working with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine. Bolton told her to tell an attorney for the National Security Council about the effort, which he said also involved acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney
“I am not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up,” Bolton told Hill to report to the White House lawyers, the newspaper reported.
Hill quoted Bolton as calling Giuliani “a hand grenade who’s going to blow everybody up,” the Times and Washington Post both reported.
The news found Trump critics in the unfamiliar territory of praising, at least briefly, the hawkish arch-conservative veteran of multiple Republican administrations:
Imagine doing something fucked up enough to get John Bolton shook
— Daniel José Older (@djolder) October 15, 2019
john bolton brings down yet another regime with no plan for what comes next
— Adam Steinbaugh (@adamsteinbaugh) October 15, 2019
Who knew that John Bolton would show more courage than LeBron James?
— Christine Pelosi (@sfpelosi) October 15, 2019
Just when you think nothing can surprise you anymore, Fiona Hill testifies NSA John Bolton said: “I am not part of whatever drug deal Rudy and Mulvaney are cooking up.” https://t.co/q5cywOUEba
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) October 15, 2019
John Bolton knew it was wrong for the @realDonaldTrump Administration to pressure Ukraine to get dirt on an American political opponent.
Many Republicans still lack the spine to say publicly what they know to be true: what @POTUS did was wrong.
No one is above the law. https://t.co/RQSWInUv3i— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) October 15, 2019
I hate John Bolton and everything he stands for.
But I have been waiting for reminders that he was trained by the greatest bureaucratic genius in recent memory, Dick Cheney.
And ... Fiona Hill just locked him in.— emptywheel (@emptywheel) October 15, 2019
It’s going to be extremely fucking weird when John Bolton brings down Donald Trump and becomes a hero to liberals.
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) October 15, 2019
John Bolton called the lawyers because he was worried Giuliani and Sondland were committing crimes...man this is far worse than we thought. And all these people were just going to hide all of this.
The whistleblower is an American hero. https://t.co/JWzAM7hW5Z— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) October 15, 2019
This administration has managed the impossible: it has made John Bolton look prudent https://t.co/NJqKoJaCKa
— Chris Lehmann (@lehmannchris) October 15, 2019
If John fucking Bolton turns out to be the hero in this, I just
— Brooke Binkowski (@brooklynmarie) October 15, 2019
You’ve gotta be knee-deep in the dumbest crimes for John Bolton to stop war mongering long enough to say “I want no part of this.” https://t.co/BeToNP8QFY
— Grave Robbert McNees (@mcnees) October 15, 2019
If John Bolton is worried you might be crossing a moral/ethical line, you’re DEFINITELY crossing a moral/ethical line... https://t.co/imGS4YxPjf
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) October 15, 2019
I knew Bolton believed in regime change but I thought he meant overseas
— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) October 15, 2019
Will be interesting watching Trump try to discredit Deep State Democrat John Bolton.
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) October 15, 2019
Everyone knew John Bolton was gonna try to unilaterally take down *a* government, it’s just surprising it’s this one
— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) October 15, 2019
This plot twist, where John Bolton turns out to be good, really strains the credibility of this entire season.
— Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) October 15, 2019
When John Bolton is the CAUTIOUS one
— NapoleonicHat (@Popehat) October 15, 2019
Bolton Objected to Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Calling Giuliani ‘a Hand Grenade’ - I do believe he will be a terrific witness https://t.co/xEjQrf0fad
— Jennifer Rubin (@JRubinBlogger) October 15, 2019
Loving John Bolton and hating Kanye. Goddamn you, Donald Trump. Goddamn you to hell.
— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) October 15, 2019
Also on HuffPost
Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.