Ex-Trump Adviser Says He Planned ‘Coups’

John Bolton, a former national security adviser under the Trump administration, admitted on Tuesday that he had “participated in conspiracy planning” outside the United States, invited to comment on congressional committee hearings on the Capitol attack.

Confronting the claim of the anchor of the CNN channel, “There is no need for someone to be intelligent for a revolution”, Mr. Bolton replied in a casual tone: “I don’t agree. As someone who helped plan coups, not here, but, you know, elsewhere, that takes a lot of work.

John Bolton says the January 6, 2021 attack was not a conspiracy attempt by Donald Trump, who is “bouncing from one idea to another”.

Known for his hawkish stances on diplomacy, Mr. Bolton did not specify what conspiracies he was talking about.

But he pointed to the failed 2019 bid to oust Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela by Washington-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Along with the neoconservatives, John Bolton has been very hard on Iran, Afghanistan and North Korea, notably one of the architects of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Bolton’s comments come as the House’s so-called ‘January 6’ panel tries to determine the role of Donald Trump and those close to him in the capital attacks.