Former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton used his Saturday appearance on the highly watched CNN network to take another shot at Trump's nominee to be director of national intelligence, former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.

John Bolton rightly implies that when rebels capture Damascus, publicizing the Assad regime's files, Tulsi Gabbard will likely to be shown on payroll. pic.twitter.com/VHuGkmzL1c

— Jay in Kyiv (@JayinKyiv) December 7, 2024

I think she’s totally unqualified to be DNI, and I think her positions put her beyond the outermost fringe of American politics.

When she visited Assad in Syria, he was effectively a Russian Iranian ally. And what she said about Syria not being a direct threat to the United States, that was her justification for going is completely false. The Syrians and their combination with Iran and Hezbollah have posed direct threats to Americans across the region. They certainly pose a direct threat to key American allies, Israel and Jordan.

And it’s going to be very interesting to see what the files that may be uncovered in the Syrian government if the rebels succeed in capturing Damascus, what they show about a number of Americans.

This is just the latest move in Bolton's inexplicable jihad against Gabbard. Just two weeks ago, again on CNN, Bolton said, "She’s not capable of doing it. Her judgment is nonexistent, and the idea that somehow she would be put in charge of this critical function should be giving our adversaries in Moscow and Beijing a lot of relief.” In an interview with Bill Kristol, he accused her of compromising US secrets.

John Bolton: "Given the views [Gabbard’s] expressed, people in the intelligence community are going to fear for the security of what they pass up the chain. Foreign nations are going to worry that sources and methods could be endangered." https://t.co/EsGJFwWvm6

— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) November 28, 2024

Gabbard would not have been my first choice to lead the US Intelligence Community, but not for reasons of her alleged coziness with now-ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad or with Russia. In fact, much of what she has said on that subject is a fairly commonplace discussion on the Ron Paul side of the America First spectrum. My concern is whether she can gain the respect of the agencies she will oversee and ensure they are doing their duty to the nation, and we won't know that until the first senior official tells her to f*** off and we see how she reacts.

The saddest part of the spectacle is John Bolton making a clown of himself. He was a guy with great conservative, though not Trumpian, credentials and is obviously a smart guy. But something about the Gabbard nomination is making him stupid. No one watching CNN will be swayed by what he says because their audience already agrees with him. No one on the bubble in Gabbard's nomination is going to form their opinions based on anything said on CNN. He may be looking down the road and seeing Trump's legacy as far as the eye can see, and he has determined the only way he can be relevant is by joining forces with The Bulwark types in opposing Trump because their lives are otherwise meaningless.