Bolton Places Profits over Patriotism
MARK GROOMBRIDGE, FORMER SENIOR POLICY ADVISER TO JOHN BOLTON: First, he flat out and bluntly said, quote, I actually have a lot to say on the subject. That, by definition, implies that he has information privy to the Ukraine investigation, and the impeachment process more broadly. But it was the second part of what he said during that interview which, to me, was most troubling which is that he said, well, I -- he basically implied, I want to discuss what I have to say, but I can't do it at this point. That, obviously, begs the question of, if not now, then when? We are at a crucial point in American history. You would think that Ambassador Bolton would want the Senate to have all of the information so that he -- so that they can make a fully informed and productive decision. Keep in mind that 71 percent of Americans and 64 percent of Republicans support the notion that the Senate should be allowed to call witnesses. Needless to say, Ambassador Bolton, along with Chief of Staff Mulvaney, would top that list.</s>ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN ANCHOR: Ambassador Bolton's lawyers have said as much. I mean just to your point, they have said, he knows a lot. Here's the statement. They said he was personally involved in many of the events, meetings and conversations about which you have already received testimony, as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far. So that was his lawyer to House investigators. And, yet, he didn't show up for a deposition. And so what about his argument, I think, his lawyer's argument, that he wants the court to compel him. Is that legitimate?</s>GROOMBRIDGE: It's smoke and mirrors. Dr. Fiona Hill courageously testified, and I didn't see any erosion of separation of powers or executive privilege issues. In fact, one could make the strong counterargument that she helped reinforce or bolster the operation of powers by affording Congress the opportunity to exercise its legitimate oversight responsibility. So you have to go through a process of elimination here. Bolton knows that the courts aren't going to decide this one way or the other prior to a Senate trial. So you can knock that off the list. Then you can also consider the fact that nothing is stopping him from writing an op-ed, giving a speech or appearing on a program like this to explain his views. That can essentially mean there's really only one logical conclusion, and forgive me for being snarky and blunt, but he's stealing a page from Omarosa's playbook by arguing essentially that, you know, I've got something really important to say, but you're going to have to wait and hear it. He could speak publicly right now. He's choosing not to do so. The only logical conclusion is that he's teasing his book.</s>CAMEROTA: And when you say he's teasing his book, you know, there has been some speculation that he's also the author known as "anonymous" of the book "A Warning." Do you think that's him?</s>GROOMBRIDGE: I don't think there's any possibility that that -- that's the case, no. It's not his style. It's not the way he -- he would -- he would approach his criticism. He, you know, for example, he's been sharply critical of the president on North Korea, but has tried to separate that from his criticism of the president, which is precisely what he did actually at the end of the Bush administration. Keep in mind, the last two years of the Bush administration, he was in the private sector. He had no problems criticizing the Bush administration on Iran and North Korea, just as he's doing with President Trump right now. But he still wants to be a player in GOP politics. And he knows full well that if he goes after President Trump too personally, that would essentially ruin his opportunity or burn bridges with potential donors for his PAC and super PAC. Ambassador Bolton wants to be a player in GOP politics. If he trashes Trump personally and it later comes out that he is "anonymous," that would ruin his legacy forever. Of course there's a strong argument that he's on the wrong side of history right now and, you know, legacy wise, by refusing to reveal what he knows.</s>CAMEROTA: Well, I mean, there you have it. That's the rub. If you're saying that he doesn't want to alienate Republicans and Republican donors, maybe that's why he's not speaking out. I mean your -- you are basically saying that he is choosing profits over patriotism.</s>GROOMBRIDGE: Correct.</s>CAMEROTA: And that is, obviously, a harsh assessment of it. But what I hear you also saying is that he's trying to preserve his future in the Republican Party.</s>GROOMBRIDGE: It's a -- it's -- he's walking a tight rope. And it's an absolute delicate balancing act. But he has no problems criticizing the president on North Korea, justifiably in my opinion, because the bromance summit diplomacy we have right now with President Trump clearly is not working. But, more broadly, Ambassador Bolton views himself as a champion, if you will, of a certain hawkish view of national security. And he's worries that Senator Rand Paul and his isolationist views are gaining traction with the president. And so Bolton feels that it is his ethical and moral responsibility to champion his views on foreign policy. And I certainly respect him for doing that, particularly when you see such abject failures in this administration such as on North Korea. However, he is going to still be careful. He understands that he also has, at some point, an obligation to say what he wants to say. But there's still no logical explanation for why he would not want the Senate to have as fully informed picture as they possibly could as they move into one of the most divisive and controversial issues in our nation's history.</s>CAMEROTA: Mark Groombridge, we really appreciate getting your insider perspective on all of this. It helps us understand what's happening. We should also let our viewers know that we did reach out to Ambassador John Bolton to come on the program today, and we did not hear back from him. Thank you, Mark. We'll talk again.</s>GROOMBRIDGE: I hope he does.</s>CAMEROTA: Thank you. Us too.</s>GROOMBRIDGE: You bet. Merry Christmas.</s>CAMEROTA: John.</s>JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: Fascinating conversation. Meanwhile, while the impeachment drama plays out in Washington, Democratic candidates are making their case to be the party's nominee. So who's head-to-head in the 2020 race? Harry Enten joining us with the latest polls, next.