WEBVTT - Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton Talks Second Trump Administration

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. John Bolton from the

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<v Speaker 1>very beginning has been someone of opinion, and he's been

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<v Speaker 1>someone who said it as clear as he can. People

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<v Speaker 1>that are for John Bolton, his critics as well see

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<v Speaker 1>a distinguished career in public service, and he has been

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<v Speaker 1>very visible in the last number of weeks on the

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<v Speaker 1>formation of the second Trump administration cabinet. John, thank you

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<v Speaker 1>so much for joining Bloomberg Today. I'm just going to

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<v Speaker 1>cut to the chase. Sometimes you write an essay and

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<v Speaker 1>then you wrote in the Wall Street Journal an essay

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<v Speaker 1>on mister Patel, who is being considered to run the FBI,

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<v Speaker 1>and line by line you went through it. Why did

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<v Speaker 1>you put that much energy into that essay on mister Patel,

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<v Speaker 1>our potential leader of the FBI.

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<v Speaker 2>Well being Director of the FBI is one of the

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<v Speaker 2>most important jobs in government, and it's been held by

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<v Speaker 2>some distinguished people and by some people who are not

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<v Speaker 2>so distinguished. But the power in that job is just enormous,

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<v Speaker 2>and I wanted to show why, in my view, Patel

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't qualified, not in terms of his competence or his

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<v Speaker 2>experience or his character. I just thought it was important

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<v Speaker 2>for Senators to have that in mind.

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<v Speaker 1>The senators are the key. I can state, folks, my

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<v Speaker 1>book of the year a number of years ago, ready,

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<v Speaker 1>twelve years ago, eleven years ago Garrett Graf The Threat

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<v Speaker 1>Matrix Matrix the FBI at War. It is a spectacular

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<v Speaker 1>five hundred pages on the complexity of the FBI. John Boltons,

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<v Speaker 1>you believe that the president elect doesn't understand the day

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<v Speaker 1>to day grind of what the FBI does.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I think Trump has very little understanding how most

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<v Speaker 2>of the government operates.

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<v Speaker 3>He never took the time to learn it.

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<v Speaker 2>He didn't know much before he be came president, and

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<v Speaker 2>he didn't learn very much when he was president. The

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<v Speaker 2>FBI has roughly, I don't know, thirty eight forty thousand employees,

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<v Speaker 2>most of whom spend their time working on investigating real

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<v Speaker 2>crimes or real threats to the United States from overseas.

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<v Speaker 2>And the idea that you're going to unleash somebody whose

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<v Speaker 2>main job, in Trump's view, is hunting down Trump's enemies

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<v Speaker 2>really demeans the incredibly important work of the overwhelming majority

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<v Speaker 2>of people in the department. I'm not saying the FBI

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<v Speaker 2>is free of problems. It certainly is not. But if

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<v Speaker 2>you want to have somebody come in and fix it,

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<v Speaker 2>correct the problems, reform it, straighten it up, pick somebody

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<v Speaker 2>like William Webster, who, when Ronald Reagan appointed him, was

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<v Speaker 2>a distinguished federal judge and has since written he doesn't

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<v Speaker 2>think either Cash Betel or Tulsey Gabbert or fit for

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<v Speaker 2>the jobs they've held. Pick somebody who's got a background

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<v Speaker 2>have been taken, wearity and judgment. Who's going to resolve

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<v Speaker 2>the problems you're worried about and not make them worse?

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<v Speaker 4>John for some of the candidates are point ease that

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<v Speaker 4>you have raised some flags on it. Do you believe

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<v Speaker 4>the Senate will in fact challenge them going forward in

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<v Speaker 4>the confirmation process.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I think there's a real chance of it.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, the idea that the president nominates somebody and

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<v Speaker 2>that choice is automatically accepted by the Senate doesn't is

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<v Speaker 2>born out by history. I think the president's entitled the

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<v Speaker 2>real deference in his picks, particularly in terms of what

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<v Speaker 2>the appointees think about policies. That's what the president was

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<v Speaker 2>elected to do. But the function of the Senate, the

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<v Speaker 2>Federalist papers make this very clear, is to make sure

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<v Speaker 2>that people who lack character and competence don't get through.

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<v Speaker 3>Now we're all waiting.

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<v Speaker 2>After the first of the year for the FBI full

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<v Speaker 2>field background investigations to come in. That's going to be

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<v Speaker 2>interesting to read for the senators on the key committees.

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<v Speaker 2>And then they're going to be confirmation hearings where if

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<v Speaker 2>senators Republican and Democratic are doing their jobs, they'll ask

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<v Speaker 2>the nominee some hard questions.

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<v Speaker 3>This is still a long way from being over.

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<v Speaker 4>John, From a national security perspective, what do you think

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<v Speaker 4>the to do list should be for this incoming administration?

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<v Speaker 4>Maybe for the first hundred days, if not longer.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I think it's a long list.

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<v Speaker 2>I think the world is very threatening to American interest

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<v Speaker 2>in a variety of places. Certainly the Middle East is

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<v Speaker 2>on fire, the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, the Chinese

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<v Speaker 2>threat to Taiwan and the South China Sea remain, and

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<v Speaker 2>I think there needs to be a real focus on

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<v Speaker 2>going after those countries that have become adversaries of ours

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<v Speaker 2>and putting in place both the policies we need to

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<v Speaker 2>protect their interests, but also getting resources. Maybe the highest

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<v Speaker 2>priority the president has is getting a better defense budget.

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<v Speaker 3>A substantially larger defense.

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<v Speaker 2>Bu not to say that there aren't savings that can

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<v Speaker 2>be had at defense. There certainly can be. But we

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<v Speaker 2>face threats that are rising around the world, and we've had,

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<v Speaker 2>over a sustained period of time inadequate resources to do

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<v Speaker 2>the job. Our military is way overstretched and we are vulnerable.

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<v Speaker 1>It ways to go here, joining us folks as John Bolton,

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<v Speaker 1>of course you know him from as many years of

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<v Speaker 1>service to America. Always controversial, always interesting, and opinionated as well.

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<v Speaker 1>In nineteen sixty four at the McDonough's School, Owings Mills, Maryland,

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<v Speaker 1>he ran the students for Goldwater campaign. Did John, I

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<v Speaker 1>go back to your first public service as a summer

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<v Speaker 1>intern from the Vice President from Maryland. Mister Agnew, you've

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<v Speaker 1>seen some White House movement away from the uproar of

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<v Speaker 1>the first Trump administration. You are articulate about the generals,

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<v Speaker 1>the admirals. It's surrounded President Trump in his first term.

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<v Speaker 1>The military is now seeing the Trump process. Can he

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<v Speaker 1>get the same quality military advice now that he got

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<v Speaker 1>in January six years or eight years ago.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I think it's open to question.

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<v Speaker 2>I think part of the Trump effect is to try

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<v Speaker 2>and intimidate people to prevent them from speaking out. I

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<v Speaker 2>hope that's not the case. The civilian relationship is critical

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<v Speaker 2>for our national security, and civilian leadership obviously is dominant,

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<v Speaker 2>but it depends on getting straightforward, honest military advice, and

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<v Speaker 2>if the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the other Joint Chiefs,

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<v Speaker 2>the combatant commanders continue to provide that. Obviously, it's up

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<v Speaker 2>for the President to make the final decision, but they

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<v Speaker 2>need to tell him what the facts are, whether he

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<v Speaker 2>wants to hear him or not.

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<v Speaker 4>Do you think that what is your confidence level that

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<v Speaker 4>that will occur this second time around, because there are

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<v Speaker 4>some concerns out there in the second Trump administration, he'll

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<v Speaker 4>be more authoritative, he'll have more confident and it's in

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<v Speaker 4>his moves maybe at the expensive advice from others.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I think it's very likely that will happen, but

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<v Speaker 2>you can't tell until the rubber meets the road. We

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<v Speaker 2>need to know who the Secretary of Defense is going

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<v Speaker 2>to be. That's not resolved yet either, and know a

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<v Speaker 2>lot more about what the other top civilian officials that

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<v Speaker 2>defense are going to look like. But I think they

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<v Speaker 2>are going to be crises that are going to require

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<v Speaker 2>some pretty tough politico military decisions very early in Trump's term.

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<v Speaker 2>We don't get to call the shots on when things

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<v Speaker 2>in the wider world happen.

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<v Speaker 3>It could happen on day one.

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<v Speaker 1>In besser Bold. One final question. This is for Nick

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<v Speaker 1>Wadams in Washington, and it's on the machinery here. I

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<v Speaker 1>see Iran pulling out of Syria. It's unfair to you

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<v Speaker 1>because I guess you don't have all the present intelligence.

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<v Speaker 1>But is it legitimate that Iran is retrenching from the

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<v Speaker 1>greater Middle East?

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<v Speaker 3>Look, Iran is in deep trouble.

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<v Speaker 2>It's been dealt punishing blows by Israel against Hamas and

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<v Speaker 2>Hebella to tears proxies that were major elements of Iranian power.

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<v Speaker 2>The fall of the Aside regime in Syria, it's a

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<v Speaker 2>third critical blow. I think the Iotolas are on the

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<v Speaker 2>back foot now, and this is a point to press

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<v Speaker 2>them hard. It may well be the regime itself is shaking.

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<v Speaker 2>At the same time, we've got to worry about making

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<v Speaker 2>sure that the new government in Syria doesn't establish a

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<v Speaker 2>terrorist state, a kind of Afghanistan on the Mediterranean. Something

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<v Speaker 2>we need to pay a lot of attention to We've

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<v Speaker 2>got a lot at stake there.

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<v Speaker 1>John Bolton, thank you so much for joining us today.

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<v Speaker 1>We look forward to speaking to you again. The former

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<v Speaker 1>Ambassador John Bolton