Iraq War Combat Veteran Rep. Ruben Gallego Calls on Members of Both Parties to Oppose the Selection of John Bolton as National Security Advisor
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a Marine Corps combat veteran of the Iraq War and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to reports that former Bush administration official John Bolton will be tapped to replace General HR McMaster as President Trump's new National Security Advisor:
"John Bolton was a leading architect of the Iraq War – a needless conflict that is still costing American lives and American tax dollars 15 years later.
"By any measure, the choice to topple Saddam Hussein was among the very worst foreign policy decisions in modern American history. Bolton must be held accountable for his actions during the critical period in the run up to our invasion. He played an instrumental role in conning Congress and the American people into supporting a war we simply didn't need to fight.
"I am concerned that we are now entering a dangerous new stage of Donald Trump's presidency – one in which his paranoia and insecurity will be manipulated by advisors like John Bolton to America's detriment. I fear that with Bolton in the White House another disastrous war with North Korea or Iran or both just became significantly more likely.
"For all of these reasons, I urge every Member of Congress who cares about our keeping our brave men and women in uniform out of harm's way to strenuously oppose his appointment."