Russia, China, Iran, North Korea Will Try To Meddle In Midterms, John Bolton Warns
National security adviser John Bolton said Sunday that – in addition to Russia – China, Iran, and North Korea will try to meddle in this fall’s midterm elections, The Hill reports.
“I can say definitively that it’s a sufficient national security concern about Chinese meddling, Iranian meddling and North Korean meddling that we’re taking steps to prevent it…those are the countries we are most concerned about.”
Bolton’s remarks come after Donald Trump’s warning of Chinese election meddling. On August 18, the POTUS argued via Twitter that “all the fools are focused on looking only at Russia,” adding that Americans should focus on China instead, and concluding that the U.S. will “get along with everyone,” if “smart, tough,” and “well-prepared.”
As Reuters reported on August 15, Bolton will meet with Russian officials in Geneva. To be held later this week, the meeting will be the first top-level meeting between Russian and U.S. officials since the Helsinki summit, when Trump and Putin met. While the president refused to blame Russia for meddling in the 2016 election, prompting criticism, Bolton has promised to raise the issue during the Geneva meeting.
Today, as The Hill noted, Bolton confirmed that the issue of Kremlin meddling will be raised in Geneva. Perhaps more importantly, Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser said that the administration is preparing defensive, as well as offensive cybersecurity operations to protect the integrity of November midterm elections.
While, as Bolton said, the Trump administration remains concerned over Russia, North Korean, Iranian, and Chinese election meddling, he said nothing about the country which – according to renowned linguist, and philosopher, Noam Chomsky – has been meddling in U.S. internal affairs “openly, brazenly and with enormous support.”
Bolton: Trump admin also concerned about election meddling by China, Iran, North Korea https://t.co/uIVTdXwddV pic.twitter.com/vjWpiS9Osp
— The Hill (@thehill) August 19, 2018
As the Inquisitr reported, Chomsky drew parallels between Russia meddling, and Israeli meddling, concluding that “Israeli intervention in U.S. elections vastly overwhelms anything the Russians may have done.”
Bolton, on the other hand, has been accused of being a neoconservative warhawk who puts Israel first. For instance, The Nation published an extensive piece about Bolton’s Israeli ties earlier this year, stating that Bolton’s repeal of the 1975 UN “Zionism is racism” resolution was his claim to fame in neocon circles.
According to Times of Israel, top ministers of the right-wing Israeli government praised Bolton for being “one of the most outstanding” allies to Israel in U.S. politics.
As George W. Bush’s under secretary of state, Bolton was accused of breaking State Department protocol, routinely arranging meetings with Mossad, the notorious Israeli secret service, according to the New York Times.
Honored to receive the 'Guardian of Zion' award from Bar-Ilan University's Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies. cc @BarIlanU pic.twitter.com/ak1aIieKFM
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) May 29, 2017
In 2017, as the Business Insider reported, Bolton received the “Guardian of Zion” award for his “fostering of relations between the United States and Israel.”
In a Twitter message, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald described Bolton as “an actual sociopath in the clinical sense of that term.”
The Conversation described Bolton as being a “radical, even by neocon standards,” who – unlike his predecessor, general McMaster – will not hesitate to take military action. Bolton, much like Trump, has no respect for international law, the outlet concluded.
