Pompeo backs Trump on Bolton firing
U.S. Secretary of State is repeating what President Trump tweeted about his national security adviser, that he asked for John Bolton's resignation Monday night and it was received Tuesday morning.
U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly fired his national security adviser John Bolton amid disagreements with his hardline aide over how to handle foreign policy challenges such as North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia.
"I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration," Trump tweeted on Tuesday, adding that he would name a replacement next week.
Bolton, a leading foreign policy hawk and Trump's third national security adviser, was widely known to have pressed the president for a harder line on issues such as North Korea. Bolton, also a chief architect of Trump's strident stance against Iran, had also advocated a tougher approach on Russia and Afghanistan.
Bolton, who took up the post in April 2018, replacing H.R. McMaster, had sometimes been at odds with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, one of Trump's main loyalists.
Offering a different version of events than Trump, Bolton tweeted: "I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
