W.House: Democrats Trumping Up Charges on Bolton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House accused Senate Democrats on Wednesday of trumping up "unsubstantiated accusations" against John Bolton in a bid to derail his nomination to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In a setback to President Bush, Republicans on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday were forced to delay a vote on the nomination to examine new allegations against Bolton of abusive conduct.

"I think what you have are Democratic members of the committee who continue to bring up unsubstantiated accusations. These allegations are unfounded," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

McClellan singled out Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the committee's top Democrat, for bringing up the allegations, which he said Bolton had already answered in hours of congressional testimony.

McClellan and other White House officials said they were confident Bolton, the top U.S. diplomat for arms control, ultimately would be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

"Democrats continue to bring these accusations up and trump them up and make unfounded allegations, and we need to get John Bolton to the United Nations because this is an important position. We need to get him there sooner rather than later," McClellan said.

Biden said a woman who worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Kyrgyzstan contacted the committee to report that Bolton angrily chased her through the halls of a Russian hotel, threw things at her and shoved threatening letters under her door. He said she was prepared to sign an affidavit.

Democrats said accusations were building that indicated Bolton had displayed a pattern of abusive behavior toward subordinates and tried to force intelligence analysts into writing their analyzes to suit his views.

The committee agreed to postpone the vote until next month after Ohio Republican Sen. George Voinovich said he was not yet prepared to vote for Bolton.

McClellan said the White House was "more than happy to talk to him about those questions."

During last week's confirmation hearings, a former high-ranking State Department official described Bolton as "a serial abuser" who berated and tried to remove an intelligence analyst who held up his speech because it overstated information on Cuba's weapons.

Bolton denied trying to influence intelligence and told the committee he wanted the analyst reassigned because he believed he had gone behind his back.

Asked if the White House had fully vetted the accusations and determined they were not true, McClellan said: "I think these issues have been addressed by John Bolton himself."

He said Bolton "will make an outstanding ambassador to the United Nations, particularly during this time when they are working to move forward on reforms."

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada has said Democrats were considering filibustering the nomination, which would require a 60-vote majority nearly impossible to attain in the divided chamber.

Just received this in my inbox from the GOP USA.
http://www.gopusa.com/news/2005/april/0420_boltonp.shtml

Republican Accused of 'Bolton Betrayal'
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
April 20, 2005

(CNSNews.com) -- Supporters of John Bolton are furious with Sen. George Voinovich, an Ohio Republican who joined Democrats Tuesday in expressing concern about Bolton's dealings with co-workers and underlings.

With Voinovich refusing to back Bolton for the time being, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed a vote that would have sent Bolton's nomination to the full Senate for anticipated confirmation.

President Bush has nominated Bolton to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Voinovich did not attend Bolton's confirmation hearings last week, and on Tuesday, he said he didn't feel "comfortable" voting on the nomination at this time. "I think one's interpersonal skills and their relationship with their fellow man is a very important ingredient in anyone that works," Voinovich said.

Fellow Republican Senators Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) and Chuck Hagel (Neb.) also said they would rather not have the committee vote on Tuesday. Chafee was quoted as saying the "dynamic" had changed because of new "reservations" surfacing about Bolton.

But Bolton's defenders say people who once worked with Bolton are coming out of the woodwork to describe him as personally abusive in his professional relationships. The White House is standing by Bolton, calling the latest round of allegations "unfounded."

"John Bolton is exactly the person we need at the United Nations at this time," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on Tuesday, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee postponed its planned vote.

'Traitor'

Move America Forward, a group that opposes the United Nations but backs Bolton, expressed outrage that a Republican Senator would refuse to back President Bush's nominee.

"Shame on Senator Voinovich," said Melanie Morgan, co-chair of Move America Forward.

"Senator Voinovich indicated he was absent from the Bolton confirmation hearings, which explains his ignorance of Mr. Bolton's qualifications to serve as a voice for America's interests at the United Nations," Morgan said.

Move America Forward said it will run radio ads criticizing Voinovich for his "obstructionist conduct" regarding Bolton.

"He has now empowered Democrat opponents of Bolton to conduct a fishing expedition to dig up every unsubstantiated charge against him as they frantically work to embarrass President Bush by once again smearing another one of his nominees," Morgan said.

Move America Forward has already aired television commercials supporting Bolton's nomination on national television networks.

"We are going to put our resources into putting the heat on Senator Voinovich until he sees the light. Standing up for American interests at the U.N. is urgent, and further delays only aid those who merrily wear the 'Blame America First' label," said Morgan.

In addition to the ad campaign, Move America Forward has also put out an alert for its members to contact Senator Voinovich's office to "register their outrage" over his actions."

"Shame on Senator Voinovich," the ad says. "After the Democrats smeared Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State and Alberto Gonzales for Attorney General, how could Voinovich side with the Democrats in smearing John Bolton?" It suggests that Voinovich has "become a traitor to the Republican Party."

'Stop Bolton'

On the other side of the coin, a group that lobbied against Bolton's nomination expressed relief that the Foreign Relations Committee has heard its concerns about Bolton.

Citizens for Global Solutions says those concerns include Bolton's "lack of credibility to represent America at the United Nations; his inability to work with others; his management style and lack of respect for his superiors; and his disdain for diplomacy and contempt for international law, which will hinder his ability to represent U.S. interests at the U.N."

Don Kraus, executive vice president of Citizens for Global Solutions, thanked the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for putting principle overcame partisanship: "We applaud the committee's diligence, their understanding of the vital need for effective U.N. reform, and for the committee's continued concerns about Mr. Bolton's ability to get the job done."

Citizens for Global Solutions, which launched a "stop John Bolton" website, insists that America's interests will be better served by a "responsible, credible U.N. ambassador -- someone other than Mr. Bolton," in other words.

Bolton has been very critical of the U.N., which pleases many conservatives and upsets many globalists.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has not said whether it will hear additional testimony on Bolton, nor has it set another date for a vote on his nomination.

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