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  6.  » Trump ousts National Security Adviser John Bolton, says they ‘disagreed strongly’ on policy

Brooke Singman – Fox News Sept 10, 2019

President Trump announced Tuesday that he has fired National Security Adviser John Bolton, saying he “disagreed strongly” with his suggestions on a range of issues.

“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump tweeted.

“I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning,” he continued. “I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new National Security Advisor next week.”

While Bolton swiftly challenged Trump’s version of events — saying he offered to resign — the two have had well-known disagreements on a range of hot-button national security issues, perhaps most significantly on plans for a troop drawdown in Afghanistan.

Bolton’s removal comes after he was reportedly sidelined from high-level discussions about military involvement in Afghanistan. The Washington Post reported that Bolton was not invited to a high-profile meeting after opposing diplomatic efforts in the region. The Post reported that his opposition bothered Trump.

“Simply put, many of Bolton’s policy priorities did not align with POTUS,” a White House official told Fox News on Tuesday.

Continues …

Comment — Sept 10, 2019

Bolton was a well-known hawk who has been pushing relentlessly for some sort of U.S. strike on Iran. That may not happen now and we would suggest Trump’s decision to replace Bolton largely boils down to disagreement over that one key issue.
Bolton’s removal follows hard on the heels of a meeting Trump had with his military commanders in the aftermath of Iran downing a U.S. Global Hawk drone.
According to some reports his military commanders dissuaded Trump from ordering a retaliatory strike on Iran. The consequences, they warned, could have been catastrophic and Trump seems to have listened and relieved himself of one of the loudest advocates for war with Iran. Ed