John Bolton has admitted in an interview with CNN that he had helped plan coups d'etat.
A Venezuelan official has called former White House national security adviser John Bolton "crazy" after his admission this week that he had tried to plot foreign coups, including backing an unsuccessful bid to oust socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
Earlier this week, Bolton said in an interview with CNN that he had helped plan coups d'etat. He did not go into detail but mentioned Venezuela, where the United States supported opposition leader Juan Guaido's failed bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro in 2019.
Jorge Rodriguez, head of Venezuela's congress, responded to Bolton's comments during a congressional session, saying that the United States had been stirring unrest.
"What was in the mind of this crazy John Bolton was that the violence would accelerate so that they could have an excuse for the invasion... a military invasion in Venezuela," he said.
Venezuela's Communication and Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
READ MORE: John Bolton admits to helping 'plan' overseas coups
Former US national security adviser John Bolton says he helped plan coups in other countries on live TV pic.twitter.com/tT7epzMGjd
— TRT World (@trtworld) July 13, 2022
'Hawk' and warmonger
During Trump's rule, Bolton was one of the main decision-makers in the administration that shaped the government's international relations.
Trump, however, sacked Bolton, calling him a "hawk" and added that “if it was up to him, he'd take on the whole world at one time."
Bolton staunchly supported the decision to overthrow Iraq's long-running leader Saddam Hussein. He still believes it was the right step to take against Hussein.
Trump has argued that "we should have never been in Iraq" and that the decision to invade ultimately "destabilised" the Middle East.
Bolton was also known for his warmongering policies against Iran and for his eye-catching op-ed article in The New York Times that supported bombing Iran.
He is also known for alienating diplomats at the United Nations while he was representing the US for the George W Bush administration in the global body.
Bolton called the international body a "twilight zone" during his 17 months on the job.
He once suggested the UN could easily lose the top 10 floors of the 39-storey building without it having any impact.
READ MORE: Who is John Bolton?
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.