POINTING FINGERS

Bolton Suggested Trump’s Turkey Decision Was Motivated by Personal Interests: Report

President’s former national security adviser criticized his dealings with Erdogan during a private speech in Miami, NBC News reports.

Former National Security Adviser John Bolton criticized President Trump’s handling of Turkey during a private speech in Miami last Wednesday, suggesting that his position has been influenced by “a personal or business relationship,” NBC News reports. Bolton blasted Trump’s reluctance to impose economic sanctions on Turkey after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan bought a Russian missile-defense system, especially given the bipartisan support in Congress for the measure. Erdogan is heading to the White House on Wednesday, weeks after Trump agreed to withdraw troops from northeast Syria, allowing Turkish forces to launch an offensive on America’s Kurdish allies. When asked for his thoughts on Trump potentially winning the 2020 election, Bolton suggested that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump could convince Trump to nominate a liberal like Harvard Law professor Lawrence Tribe to the Supreme Court—in an attempt to assert their influence and appeal to the kinds of people they want to socialize with in New York City, the outlet reported.