LOU: THANKS FOR BEING HERE BUT
NOT SO MUCH FOR THE PESSIMISM.
JOIN US TOMORROW.
>>> BREAKING NEWS TONIGHT,
PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCING
ANOTHER BIG STAFF CHANGE.
IN A TWEET THIS EVENING, HE
SAID, QUOTE, I AM PLEASED TO
ANNOUNCE THAT EFFECTIVE 4/9/18
AMBASSADOR JOHN BOLTON WILL BE
MY NEW SECURITY ADVISER.
I'M THANKFUL FOR H.R. McMASTER
WHO HAS DONE AN OUTSTANDING JOB
AND WILL ALWAYS BE MY FRIEND.
THERE WILL BE A HANDOVER ON 4/9.
I'M IN FOR KENNEDY.
AND WITH ME NOW, YES, INCOMING
WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER JOHN BALLTON.
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO W
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO L
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO O
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO E
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO T
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO O
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO T
AMBASSADOR BOLTON WELL KOOM TO E
SHOW.
>> IT'S NOT RED EYE BUT I'M GLAD
TO BE HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR NOT CANCELING.
I'M GOING TO READ YOU A
HEADLINE.
THE REACTIONS ARE HAPPENING AS
WE SPEAK.
JOHN BOLTON, TRUMP'S ULTRA
HAWKISH KNEW NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER EXPLAIN.
BOLTON HAS RECENTLY CALLED FOR
WAR WITH BOTH IRAN AND NORTH
KOREA.
WOULD YOU SAY THAT'S ACCURATE?
>> OF COURSE IT'S NOT ACCURATE
BUT IT'S WHAT I WOULD EXPECT
FROM THEM.
>> YOU RECENTLY WROTE AN
EDITORIAL FOR "THE WALL STREET
JOURNAL."
YOU SAID SOME SORT OF STRIKE IS
LIKELY UNAVOIDABLE UNLESS CHINA
AGREES TO REGIME CHANGE IN
PYONGYANG.
THAT'S RIGHT.
YOU DESCRIBE YOURS AS A HAWK ON
NORTH KOREA, CORRECT?
>> LET ME JUST SAY IN THE
ROUGHLY HOUR AND A HALF I'VE HAD
TO DIGEST THE NEWS GETTING OUT
ABOUT THIS, I'VE HAD TO THINK
ABOUT WHAT TO DO ABOUT
EVERYTHING THAT I SAID IN MY
PUBLIC CAREER BEFORE NOW.
THE OP-EDS, THE BOOKS, THE
SPEECHES, THE INTERVIEWS AND SO
ON.
AND AS I'M SURE YOUR RESEARCHERS
HAVE MADE CLEAR TO YOU, YOU
PROBABLY HAVE A LIST OF
QUESTIONS THAT COULD GO ON FOR
SOME LONG.
I HONESTLY THINK IT'S NOT
APPROPRIATE FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT
THAT VAST BODY OF MY COMMENTARY.
IT'S OUT THERE, PEOPLE CAN READ
IT OR LISTEN TO IT IF IT'S A
BROADCAST, THEY CAN DRAW THEIR
OWN ON COLLUSIONS FROM IT.
BUT MY JOB WHEN I GET THE JOB ON
APRIL 9th AS THE PRESIDENT HAS
JUST TOLD ME, YOU KNOW, THEN MY
ADVICE NEEDS TO BE PRIVATE TO
HIM, UNLESS HE WANTS TO LET IT
GO PUBLIC
KIND OF MY COMMENTING ON THE
THINGS I'VE SAID BEFORE I THINK
IS NOT FAIR TO THE PRESIDENT AND
SO I WANT TO AVOID COMMENTING ON
IT.
BUT I'D WELCOME YOUR CONTINUED
READING FROM ANY COLLECTING
WORKS.
I CAN'T OBJECT TO THAT.
>> WELL I'LL KEEP READING.
I'LL READ IT IN PRIVATE AND
AFTER THE SHOW AS WELL.
LET ME GET SOME IMMEDIATE
REACTION FROM BERNIE SANDERS,
JOHN BOLTON WAS PART OF THE
EFFORT TO MISLEAD THE U.S. INTO
THE DISASTROUS U.S. WAR.
HE WAS TOO EXTEAM TO BE
CONFIRMED U.N. AMBASSADOR IN
2005 AND IS ABSOLUTELY THE WRONG
PERSON TO BE NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISER NOW.
DOES THAT REACTION SURPRISE YOU?
>> I'M GRATIFIED BY SENATOR
SANDERS' ENDORSEMENT.
I WELCOME IT.
WITH RESPECT TO BEING CONFIRMED,
OF COURSE THE DEMOCRATS RESORTED
TO A FILIBUSTER IN 2005.
AND IN THE EFFORT TO BREAK THE
FILIBUSTER, THERE WERE 57 VOTES
IN FAVOR OF MY NOMINATION, UNDER
TODAY'S CIRCUMSTANCES OF COURSE
WITH THE FILIBUSTER FOR CHECK
EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND JUDICIAL
NOMINEES ELIMINATED, I WOULD
HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED.
SENATOR SANDERS I'M SORE
SENATOR SANDERS I'M SORRY YOU
DON'T GET A SHOT AT ME THIS
TIME.
>> THIS POSITION, THERE'S NO
CONFIRMATION PROCESS.
YOU'RE APPOINTED BY THE
PRESIDENT.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND
CONFIRMATIONS.
I REMEMBER WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
GEORGE W. BUSH APPOINTED YOU AS
AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N. OR HE WAS
GOING TO APPOINT YOU AND THERE
WAS A LONG DRAWN OUT THING ABOUT
YOU BEING CONFIRMED.
I REMEMBER THE CABLE NEWS,
TALKING HEADS WITHIN INTERVIEWS,
CONGRESSMAN, SENATORS, EVERYONE
TALKING ABOUT -- DESCRIBING YOU
AS KIND OF A MEANY.
YOU WERE A MEAN GUY, YOU YELLED
AT PEOPLE.
YOU WERE NASTY.
THAT WAS NOT THE EXPERIENCE I
HAD WORKING WITH YOU ON RED EYE,
AMBASSADOR.
WHAT IS WITH YOU AND
CONFIRMATIONS .
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE
CONFIRMATION PROCESS FOR THE
U.N. AMBASSADOR WAS NOT THAT
MUCH DIFFERENT THAN THE
CONFIRMATION I HAD TO BE
UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE.
AND FINNED MENTALLY THIS WAS A
DISAGREEMENT ABOUT POLICY.
I REMEMBER IN MY CONFIRMATION
HEARING IN 2001 FOR THE
UNDERSECRETARY JOB, JOE BIDEN,
WHO IS ALWAYS CANDID FOR SURE,
SAID, LOOK, MY DISAGREEMENTS
WITH YOU OVER THE YEARS HAVE
BEEN BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO
COMPETENT.
I'D REALLY WISH YOU WERE RATHER
DUMB BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE A
BETTER SHOT AT YOU.
YOU'RE A COMPETENT AND HONORABLE
MAN.
AND I THINK THAT WHAT HAS
HAPPENED TO THE CONFIRMATION
PROCESS IS NOT JUST IN MY CASE
BUT IN MANY MANY OTHERS, IS THAT
IT'S GOTTEN SO BITTERLY PARTISAN
THAT EVERYTHING YOU DID FROM
ABOUT THIRD GRADE ON UP THAT
DISSATISFIED SOMEBODY GETS
DRAGGED INTO PUBLIC VIEW.
AND OF COURSE THE MEDIA TENDS TO
TAKE THE WORST CASE VIEW OF WHAT
IT IS YOU'RE ACCUSED OF AND
POSITIONS HARDEN AND RATIONAL
DISCUSSION STOPS.
SO I THINK THAT'S BAD FOR THE
REPUBLIC.
I THINK IT DISCOURAGES PEOPLE
FROM CONSIDERING PUBLIC SERVICE.
PEOPLE SAY WHY SHOULD I PUT
MYSELF THROUGH THAT PROCESS WHEN
YOUR CHARACTER IS MALIGNED,
ESPECIALLY IN CONFIRMATION, WHEN
PEOPLE CAN SAY ALMOST ANYTHING
BUT LEST YOU DEFEND THE SENATE,
YOU CAN ONLY SPEAK AT YOUR
CONFIRMATION HEARING.
IT'S VERY ONE-SIDED.
AND I THINK, AS I SAID, HARMFUL
TO OUR SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT THAT
DISCOURAGES PEOPLE FROM PUTTING
THEIR NAMES FORWARD FOR PUBLIC
SERVICE.
>> I IMAGINE YOU'RE GOING TO
BE -- THERE'S A TRANSITION
PERIOD.
ARE YOU GOING TO BE MEETING WITH
H.R. McMASTER AND WORKING
THINGS OUT?
>> I CERTAINLY HOPE SO.
I KNEW H.R. BEFORE HE TOOK THIS
POSITION.
I HAVE READ HIS EXCELLENT STUDY,
I WOULD RECOMMEND IT TO ANYBODY
WHO IS INTERESTED IN VIETNAM OR
CIVIL MILITARY RELATIONS.
IT WILL BE AN HONOR TO WORK WITH
HIM IN THE TRANSITION, WITH HIM
AND HIS TEAM AND I LOOK GUARD TO
THAT.
>>
FORWARDTO THAT.
>> IF YOU FLIP THE CHANNELS ON
CABLE NEWS, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
AGGRESSIVE, YOU KNOW, THAT
YOU'RE MORE HAWKISH.
PROBABLY MORE SO THAN H.R.
McMASTER, THAT'S THE WAY
THEY'RE DESCRIBING IT.
IS THE PRESIDENT MAKING A CHANGE
IN DIRECTION?
>> YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I'M NOT SURE
THAT'S FOR ME TO COMMENT ON.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAD SOME
VERY NICE AND APPROPRIATELY VERY
NICE WORDS FOR H.R. TONIGHT.
SAID HE WOULD ALWAYS BE A
FRIEND.
I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS NOT
AFRAID OF PEOPLE WITH STRONG
VIEWS.
I THINK IT BENEFITS THE
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS IN THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH WHEN PEOPLE ARE
ABLE TO LAY THEIR VIEWS OUT IN A
POLITE CIVIL FASHION, WHICH I
HOPE TO DO, AS I BELIEVE I'VE
DONE IN THE PAST.
SOME PEOPLE FIND IT DIFFICULT TO
DEAL WITH OPINIONS THEY DISAGREE
WITH.
AND UNFORTUNATELY THEY TEND TO
TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
BUT THAT'S NOT HOW I SEE IT.
I THINK THE CLASH OF VIEWS IS
THE CLASH OF VIEWS.