Trump's NSA John Bolton told CNN's Jake Tapper that his opinion doesn't matter on whatever the NOKO leader said, but that Trump takes him at his word when Kim Jong claimed he didn't know about the torture of Otto Warmbier.
"I'm not the national security decision-maker,' he told the CNN host.
During Bolton's Sunday morning press tour today, he had a rough time trying to give a coherent explanation that defends and excuses Trump when it concerns his weird proclivity to always side with murderous dictators and autocrats over US intelligence and suffering American families.
On Fox News Sunday he tried to sell the belief that Trump may not in reality believe them, but believes they believe the words they say. Understand?
Of course not. It's frakking nuts.
On CNN's State of the Union, Tapper played a video clip of Trump saying Kim vehemently did not know Otto Warmbier was tortured.
Tapper said that the Warmbier family put out a statement saying Trump is wrong.
Bolton began by not answering his question for about thirty seconds so Tapper asked him directly, "Do you take Kim Jong-un at his word?"
Bolton, "The president takes him at his word."
Tapper, "He does, but what about you?"
Bolton, "My opinion doesn't matter. My opinion is that I -- "
Tapper, "You're national security adviser to the president. Your opinion matters quite a bit."
Bolton, "I'm not the national security decision maker. That's his view."
It went further down hill for Bolton after that.
Tapper pressed him saying Kim had to know what was happening to Otto Warmbier.
Bolton's first response was laughable. He said, "Nothing that happens in North Korea surprises me."
Tapper shot back, "I don't know one expert on North Korea who thinks that anything could have happened to Otto Warmbier, without Kim Jong-un knowing about it ahead of time. Do you disagree?"
Bolton, "Good for them."
Tapper, "But what about you? You're a North Korean ---?
Bolton replied, "You know, people in the media seem to have the impression that administration officials kind of comment from the distance, as if I were a Fox News contributor, as I used to be."
"I don't do that anymore. I give my advice to the president. I give my opinions to the president. He makes up his own mind. That's why he's president."
It's very odd when Bolton is presented as being somewhat coherent on U.S. foreign policy since he joined the administration.
Under George W. Bush's presidency, Bolton couldn't even get confirmed by the Senate as his UN ambassador and needed a recess appointment, but Trump seems to make every one around him, even the most heinous and worst extreme right wing loon seem understandable next to him.
