Most Talked-About Controversies Linked to John Bolton

1967: Bolton's Three State Solution

Since 1967, Bolton proposed Israel would annex settlements in the West Bank, Egypt would administer Gaza, and Jordan would administer the remaining West Bank, with no independent Palestinian state.

2001: Derailing Biological Weapons Conference

In 2001, John Bolton was instrumental in derailing a biological weapons conference in Geneva.

May 2002: "Beyond the Axis of Evil" speech

In May 2002, John Bolton gave a speech entitled "Beyond the Axis of Evil", adding Cuba, Libya, and Syria to the list of rogue states.

2002: Accusations Against Cuba

In 2002, John Bolton accused Cuba of having a secret biological weapons program and collaborating with Libya and Iran.

2002: Removal of José Bustani

In 2002, John Bolton allegedly flew to Europe to demand the resignation of Brazilian José Bustani, head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

2003: Role in Bush's State of the Union Address

In 2003, Henry Waxman alleged that Bolton played a role in encouraging the inclusion of the statement that British Intelligence had determined Iraq attempted to procure yellowcake uranium from Niger in Bush's State of the Union Address.

April 2004: Accusations Against Cuba

In April 2004, John Bolton accused Cuba of being a "terrorist and (biological weapons) threat to the United States."

June 2004: Congressional Testimony on Iran

In June 2004, John Bolton stated in congressional testimony that Iran was lying about enriched uranium contamination.

September 2004: Bush administration backed off claims

In September 2004, in the wake of the failure to locate WMDs in Iraq, the Bush administration backed off claims that Cuba had an active biological weapons program.

April 12, 2005: Senate Panel Focuses on Allegations

On April 12, 2005, the Senate panel focused on allegations that John Bolton pressured intelligence analysts, with Carl W. Ford Jr. calling Bolton a "serial abuser".

May 2005: Newsweek Report on Bolton's Absence at Nuclear Proliferation Treaty Review Conference

In May 2005, Newsweek reported that John Bolton's "absence without leave" during the 7th Review Conference of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty undercut the American position, quoting anonymous sources. This occurred during Bolton's nomination fight.

May 26, 2005: Senate Democrats Postpone Vote on Bolton's UN Nomination

On May 26, 2005, Senate Democrats postponed the vote on John Bolton's UN nomination, initiating the first filibuster of the year due to withheld documents by the Bush administration.

June 20, 2005: Senate Cloture Vote Fails on Bolton's Nomination

On June 20, 2005, the Senate voted again on cloture for John Bolton's nomination, but it failed 54-38, six votes short of ending debate. Senator Voinovich switched his vote and urged President Bush to pick another nominee.

July 28, 2005: Bolton's False Statement to the Senate Revealed

On July 28, 2005, it was revealed that John Bolton made a false statement on forms submitted to the Senate, indicating he hadn't been questioned in any investigation in the prior five years, but he had been interviewed by the State Department's Inspector General as part of an investigation into the sources of pre-war claims of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

August 2005: IAEA findings on Iran

At their August 2005 meeting, the IAEA's Board of Governors concluded that isotope analysis tended to support Iran's statement about the foreign origin of most of the observed HEU contamination.

2006: Attempting Prosecution Against Ahmadinejad

In 2006, Bolton, along with others, attempted to bring prosecution against Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for incitement to genocide in the International Court of Justice.

2007: Remarks on Iraq War 'Mistake'

In 2007, Bolton stated that the only mistake the United States made in Iraq was not leaving earlier after overthrowing Saddam Hussein.

2008: Opposing Kosovo's Declaration of Independence

During 2008, Bolton opposed the declaration of independence by Kosovo.

2008: Bolton's comments on Iran's hostilities

In 2008, Bolton said the actions against Iran were responsive and not pre-emptive, meant to stop Iran from engaging in hostilities inside Iraq and aiding the Taliban in Afghanistan.

2010: Foreword for 'The Post-American Presidency'

In 2010, Bolton wrote a foreword for the book 'The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America' by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer.

December 2012: Suggesting Clinton Faked Concussion

In December 2012, Bolton suggested that Hillary Clinton faked a concussion to avoid testifying before Congress regarding the Benghazi attack.

2013: Bolton's Comments on Snowden Asylum

In 2013, after Edward Snowden was granted asylum in Russia, Bolton suggested actions to cause Putin pain, saying not having a meeting with Obama would not damage Russian interests.

2014: Super PAC Payments to Cambridge Analytica

Since 2014, the John Bolton Super PAC paid Cambridge Analytica more than $1.1 million for "research" and "survey research".

2015: Bolton's Opposition to the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal

Unlike several of President Trump's early national security officials, Bolton campaigned to press President Trump for a complete withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran (the JCPOA).

December 2016: Bolton on Russian Interference in 2016 Election

In December 2016, John Bolton suggested that the conclusion of the United States Intelligence Community that Russian hackers had intervened to help elect Donald Trump in 2016 may have been a "false flag" operation. He also criticized the Obama administration's retaliatory sanctions as insufficient.

2016: Bolton's speech to MEK

In 2016, Bolton was paid $40,000 for his speech to MEK.

2016: Super PAC Spending in 2016 Election

In 2016, the John Bolton Super PAC spent around $2.5 million supporting Republican U.S. Senate candidates and paid Cambridge Analytica more than $811,000.

2016: Russian Interference in US Elections

In June 2017, Bolton described Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections as "a true act of war."

June 1, 2017: Bolton receives speaking fee for European Iranian Events

On June 1, 2017, Bolton received $40,000 of speaking fee for "Global Events–European Iranian Events", the same day he made a speech for the MEK in Paris, France.

June 2017: Calling Russian interference "an act of war"

In June 2017, Bolton described Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections as "a true act of war."

August 28, 2017: Bolton's Proposal on Iran Deal Withdrawal

On August 28, 2017, Bolton published a proposal in a National Review Online article on how to withdraw from the Iran deal.

March 2018: Suggesting South Korea Take North Korea

In March 2018, Bolton suggested that South Korea take over North Korea and terminate the North Korean regime as the only "diplomatic option."

March 2018: Bolton's Comments to Iranian Exile Group

In March 2018, Bolton told the Iranian exile group Mujahedin-e-Khalq that the Trump administration should aim for regime change in Iran.

April 2018: Bolton Pressing Trump on Iran Nuclear Deal

In April 2018, after becoming National Security Advisor, Bolton pressed President Trump to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

May 8, 2018: Bolton Removed Timothy Ziemer and Dissolved Global Health Security Team

On May 8, 2018, John Bolton removed Timothy Ziemer and dissolved his Global Health Security team from the NSC.

May 2018: Estimated payment to Bolton

In May 2018, it was estimated that Bolton was paid "on the low-end, $180,000" by MEK.

May 2018: U.S. withdrew from Iran Nuclear Deal

In May 2018, the U.S. withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, a policy John Bolton had repeatedly advocated.

July 2018: Referring to investigation as "Russia witch hunt"

In July 2018, as Trump's national security advisor, Bolton referred to the investigation into Russian interference as "the Russia witch hunt".

September 10, 2018: Bolton Criticizes International Criminal Court

On September 10, 2018, John Bolton criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) in his first major address as National Security Advisor, calling it a threat to "American sovereignty and U.S. national security."

November 1, 2018: Speech Praising Bolsonaro and Duque

In a speech on November 1, 2018, Bolton praised Jair Bolsonaro and Iván Duque Márquez and criticized Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.

2018: Standing by Support of Iraq Invasion

In 2018, Bolton continued to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.

2018: Criticizing Washington's One-China Policy

In 2018, Bolton criticized Washington's One-China policy.

2018: Bolton's statements on Iran, Russia, China, Syria and North Korea

In 2018, Bolton stated that Russia, China, Syria, Iran and North Korea make agreements and lie about them, and that the goal should be regime change in Iran.

2018: Bolton Requested Military Strike Options Against Iran

In 2018, John Bolton requested that the Pentagon provide the White House with options for military strikes against Iran and intensified the administration's policy of isolating and pressuring Iran.

January 2019: Bolton Eliminated Internal Policy Debates

In January 2019, as National Security Advisor, John Bolton eliminated internal policy debates, which contributed to Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from Syria.

May 2019: Trump Undercuts Bolton's Positions on Iran and North Korea

By May 2019, President Trump had undercut some of John Bolton's major hard line positions, stating he was not seeking regime change in Iran and contradicting Bolton's assertion that North Korea had recently violated United Nations resolutions.

May 2019: Trump on Bolton's Views on Cuba and Venezuela

In May 2019, President Trump claimed that his own views on Cuba and Venezuela were "far stronger" than Bolton's and that Bolton was "holding me back!"

August 2019: Bolton's Book Claims Trump Froze Ukraine Aid

In August 2019, according to Bolton's forthcoming book, President Trump allegedly told Bolton that he wanted to continue freezing aid to Ukraine until investigations were pursued into Democrats, including the Bidens.

September 10, 2019: Conflicting Accounts of Bolton's Departure from White House

On September 10, 2019, President Trump claimed he had told John Bolton his "services are no longer needed" and that Bolton gave his resignation on September 10. Just minutes later, Bolton contradicted Trump's account, tweeting out this claim: Bolton offered to resign on September 9, with Trump replying: "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

December 2019: Bolton Submitted Book for Security Review

In December 2019, Bolton submitted his book for security review, initiating a process that would later become contentious.

2019: Sabotaging Trump's Iran Diplomacy

In 2019, Bolton, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Mike Pompeo successfully sabotaged President Trump's attempts to open diplomatic channels with Iran.

2019: Celebrating in Tehran

In March 2018, Bolton told the Iranian exile group Mujahedin-e-Khalq that "before 2019, we here will celebrate in Tehran!"

January 3, 2020: Soleimani Killed in U.S. Drone Strike

On January 3, 2020, Qasem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Bolton called it a decisive blow against Iran's malign Quds Force activities.

January 6, 2020: Bolton Announced He Would Testify During Senate Impeachment Trial

In a written statement obtained by NBC News on January 6, 2020, Bolton announced that he would testify during the Senate impeachment trial should he be issued a subpoena to do so.

January 28, 2020: Sekulow Dismisses Bolton's Claims

On January 28, 2020, Trump's impeachment lawyer, Jay Sekulow, dismissed Bolton's claims as "inadmissible" before the Senate, leading Democratic trial manager Adam Schiff to argue that Bolton should testify.

June 16, 2020: Justice Department Attempted to Block Bolton's Memoir

On June 16, 2020, the Trump Justice Department attempted to block the publication of Bolton's memoir, "The Room Where It Happened", and sought to confiscate Bolton's $2 million advance.

2020: White House Slow-Walking Review Process

In 2020, Bolton's attorney asserted that the White House was deliberately delaying the review process of his book to prevent its release during the election campaign, while Trump characterized the book as "pure fiction".

January 20, 2021: China Imposes Sanctions Against Bolton

On January 20, 2021, the Chinese government imposed sanctions against Bolton and other Trump administration officials.

June 2021: Justice Department Dropped Criminal Inquiry

In June 2021, the Justice Department dropped its criminal inquiry of Bolton and moved to end efforts to confiscate proceeds from his book.

July 2022: Admitted to Involvement in Coups d'état

In July 2022, during an interview with CNN, John Bolton admitted to his personal involvement in planning unspecified coups d'état in foreign countries.

2023: Bolton Criticizes Trump in Memoirs

In a 2023 edition of his memoirs, Bolton criticizes Trump as a man who punishes "personal enemies and appease[s] adversaries Russia and China".