Former US national security adviser John Bolton has criticised Sebastian Gorka, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for a counterterrorism position, calling him a “con man” and questioning his qualifications. This comes after Gorka was appointed as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.
In an interview with CNN, Bolton said, “Sebastian Gorka is a con man.I wouldn’t have him in any US government.” He argued that Gorka’s appointment could harm counterterrorism efforts.
“Fortunately, it’s not the highest position he had been mentioned for. But I don’t think it bodes well for counterterrorism efforts when the [National Security Council’s] senior director is someone like that,” Bolton added.
Bolton further raised doubts about Gorka’s qualifications and suggested an FBI investigation into his educational background. He claimed Gorka’s appointment was based on loyalty to Trump rather than merit.
“He needs a full-field FBI background investigation about his educational claims and things like that. I think he is a perfect example of someone who owes his position purely to Donald Trump,” Bolton said.
Bolton also criticized Trump’s leadership style, claiming the president values blind loyalty over independent opinions. “He doesn’t display loyalty. He displays fealty. And that’s what Trump wants,” Bolton remarked. “He doesn’t want Gorka’s opinions. He wants Gorka to say, ‘Yes, sir.’ And I am fully confident that’s exactly what will happen no matter what Trump says.”
This is not the first time Bolton has publicly criticized Trump’s appointments. He previously questioned the qualifications of Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
