John Bolton brags about his experience helping “plan coup d’etat” while downplaying the January 6 riot
Bolton: “As somebody who has helped plan coup d’etat, not here, but, you know, other places”
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From the July 12, 2022, edition of CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper
JOHN BOLTON (GUEST): It's also a mistake, as some people have said, including on the committee, the commentators, that somehow this was a carefully planned coup d'etat aimed at the Constitution. That's not the way Donald Trump does things. It's rambling from one half vast idea to another. One plan that falls through and another comes up. That -- that's what he was doing. As I say, none of it defensible. But you have to understand the nature of what the problem of Donald Trump is. He's -- to use a Star Wars metaphor -- a disturbance in the force. And it's not an attack on our democracy. It's Donald Trump looking out for Donald Trump. It's a once in a lifetime occurrence.
JAKE TAPPER (HOST): I don't know that I agree with you, to be fair with all due respect. One doesn't have to be brilliant to attempt a coup.
BOLTON: I disagree with that. As somebody who has helped plan coup d'etat, not here, but, you know, other places, it takes a lot of work. And that's not what he did. It was just stumbling around from one idea to another. 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 to redo the issue.