Senators seek
information from
ex-CIA official
on U.N. nominee

updated 9:05 p.m. ET April 20, 2005

WASHINGTON - Senators considering the nomination of John R. Bolton to be U.N. ambassador on Wednesday sought information from former CIA Deputy Director John McLaughlin and two current intelligence officials in their review of whether Bolton abused his authority and misled a Senate committee.

Separately, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, is asking the National Security Agency for details of intelligence requests made by Bolton, said Rockefeller spokeswoman Wendy Morigi.

The White House vigorously defended Bolton on Wednesday, and predicted he will be confirmed as U.N. ambassador despite cracks in support from Republican senators concerned that Bolton has a short fuse and a pattern of mistreating co-workers.

The White House also offered to arrange private meetings between Bolton and any wavering Republicans. There is no indication so far that Bolton might withdraw.

Allegations derail vote
Unsubstantiated allegations of abusive personal behavior and possible instances of misuse of his government power derailed a key vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Bolton’s nomination on Tuesday. A new vote is probably three weeks off, giving Democrats time to investigate the new charges and the White House time to lobby disaffected Republicans.

There are also efforts to counter the stream of allegations. The Associated Press obtained a letter from a Virginia businessman disputing a former colleague’s colorful description of an irate Bolton throwing things at her and pounding on her hotel room door.

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., on behalf of the Foreign Relations Committee, sought information Wednesday about three meetings that were on Bolton’s schedule in July 2002, with McLaughlin, a second CIA official and a National Intelligence Council official, his office said. At the time, Bolton was in the midst of a bureaucratic disagreement with a CIA analyst.

Dodd asked McLauglin and the two current officials, who were not identified, whether they met with Bolton and whether he discussed removing the analyst from his job.

Bolton denies trying to get analyst fired
Bolton told the committee last week that he never tried to get the analyst fired, and implied that he had dropped the matter quickly. The analyst was not fired.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., said government records dispute Bolton’s account of a visit to the CIA, and the new inquires are partly an attempt to find out whether Bolton lobbied top officials to get rid of the analyst.

Democrats are also seeking more information on other personnel incidents involving Bolton, that led the committee — including several Republican members — to urge a delay a vote on his nomination because of growing questions about his temperament and what they say is a pattern of punishing or pressuring underlings.

“Senate Democrats on the committee continue to bring up these allegations that are unsubstantiated, that are unfounded, that John Bolton has addressed in his testimony,” before the committee, said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

“I think what you’re seeing is the ugly side of Washington, D.C., that people are playing politics with his nomination,” McClellan said.

McClellan also called the accusations against Bolton “trumped-up” and praised the nominee as “exactly the kind of person that we need at the United Nations during this time of reform.

Bolton could return for more testimony before the committee, and other witnesses might be called in.

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