John Bolton Is No Hero in the Trump-Ukraine Scandal

What did the national security advisor do with a ‘hand grenade’ like Rudy Giuliani? Duck.

Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton appears at the Center for Strategic and International Studies before delivering remarks on September 30, 2019, in Washington, DC. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

With every new witness that testifies as part of the impeachment inquiry, we’re learning more about alleged abuses of power and potential criminal activity by the Trump administration. This week we learned at least one senior Trump official wasn’t on board with the scheme to get Ukraine to interfere in the U.S. election: John Bolton, the former national security advisor.

Bolton went so far as to describe Rudy Giuliani as a “hand grenade” who’s going to “blow everybody up” with possibly illegal escapades in Ukraine, according to the reported testimony of former Bolton aide Fiona Hill.

Hill told Bolton about the rogue effort to extort Ukraine involving Giuliani, ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. Bolton allegedly responded by saying, “I am not part of whatever drug deal Sondland and Mulvaney are cooking up,” and told her to take her concerns to a White House lawyer.

So Bolton was furious, but national security advisors are supposed to do more than express their feelings. He may be getting some kudos for refusing to play dirty with Giuliani and his henchmen, but as a…