'It takes a lot of work': John Bolton says Donald Trump was too lazy to lead a genuine coup on January 6th
Ex-United States National Security Adviser and United Nations Ambassador John Bolton claimed on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump's attempt to subvert the 2020 election and overthrow the federal government was "not an attack on our democracy" but rather a haphazard stunt carried out by a desperate man trying to cling to power.
Bolton's remarks came shortly after the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol concluded its seventh public hearing, which showcased how Trump and his coconspirators sought the aid of white nationalist organizations in their plot to thwart democracy.
"It's Donald Trump looking out for Donald Trump. It's a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence," Bolton said to CNN's Jake Tapper.
"I don’t know that agree with you, to be fair, with all due respect. One doesn’t have to be brilliant to attempt a coup," Tapper shot back.
Bolton doubled down, citing his own experience meddling in foreign affairs to insist that Trump's Capitol insurrection was orchestrated too lazily to be considered a coup.
"I disagree with that as somebody who has helped plan coup d'états – not here but, you know, other places – it takes a lot of work. And that's not what he did," Bolton replied.
"Just stumbling around from one idea to another," Bolton continued of Trump, "ultimately he did unleash the rioters at the Capitol. As to that, there's no doubt, but not overthrow the Constitution to buy more time to throw the matter back to the states to try and redo the issue. And if you don't believe that, you're gonna overreact and I think that's a real risk for the Committee, which has done a lot of good work mostly when the witnesses testify, not when the members are opining. It is invariably the case that when you go too far trying to prove your case, you undermine it."
Watch below via Acyn or at this link.
\u201cTapper: I don\u2019t know if I agree with you with all due respect. One doesn\u2019t have to be brilliant to attempt a coup\nBolton: I disagree with that as somebody who has helped plan coups, not here but other places\u2026\u201d— Acyn (@Acyn) 1657657720
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