White House national security adviser John Bolton on Sunday said he’s open to privatizing military operations in Afghanistan following reports last week that President Trump is considering the option.
When asked about the idea on ABC’s “This Week,” Bolton said “there are always a lot of discussions.”
“I’m always open to new ideas,” he said. “But I’m not going to comment on what the thinking is. That’ll ultimately be the president’s decision.”
.@MarthaRaddatz: "Would you consider privatizing (in Afghanistan), using contractors instead of U.S. military?"
White House national security adviser John Bolton: "I'm always open to new ideas…That will ultimately be the president's decision" https://t.co/5DMKk99wXZ #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/oJwiMjIR0d
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 19, 2018
NBC News reported last week that Trump has shown interest in Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s proposal to privatize the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Under the proposal, the administration would replace troops with private military contractors working for a government liaison. – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Tapper announced on Twitter that the White House cancelled Bolton’s appearance, noting the testy exchange between CNN’s White House senior correspondent Jim Acosta and Trump in England on Friday, seemingly connecting the two events.
Update: @AmbJohnBolton had been locked in for tomorrow’s @CNNSOTU. Then the president attacked CNN during his UK presser, and our WH correspondent tried to ask a question. We are told Amb. Bolton remains fully prepared to do the interview but the White House has canceled it.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 14, 2018
Sanders confirmed the White House pulled Bolton from Tapper’s show because Acosta “disrespected” Trump and May, although she didn’t cite Acosta’s name specifically.
Sanders said Trump’s White House is not in the business of “rewarding bad behavior.”
[contentcards url=”http://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/402522-bolton-open-to-privatizing-military-operations-in-afghanistan” target=”_blank”]Actually a @CNN reporter disrespected @POTUS & PM May during their press conf. Instead of rewarding bad behavior, we decided to reprioritize the TV appearances for administration officials. https://t.co/58LaJH6WaD
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) July 14, 2018