National Security Candidate Has Ties to OK Congressmen

Any day now President Donald Trump is expected to name his new national security advisor.

Over the weekend, the President met with the top four candidates at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.

The four who met with Mr. Trump included former ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton; Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen Jr., and Gen. Keith Kellogg. Kellogg is currently acting national security adviser.

But it’s Ambassador Bolton who has ties to Oklahoma congressmen.

In 2014, Ambassador Bolton first endorsed and donated to the campaigns of Representatives Steve Russell and Jim Bridenstine, and did the same for Senator James Lankford.

According to OpenSecrets.org then Rep. James Lankford received $5,000 from the John Bolton PAC in 2014, then received $5,000 again in his 2016 re-election bid for Senator.

In 2016, Rep. Steve Russell received $5,000 from Bolton’s PAC, and it’s unclear how much Russell received in 2014.

Rep. Jim Bridenstine received $2,500 in 2014, but did not receive a contribution in 2016.

The endorsements were announced by Bolton’s Super PAC in a press release.

In the release it states, “Amb. John Bolton endorses three candidates for elected office in Oklahoma and will make a PAC contribution to each campaign.”

The release goes on to showcase the success of Bolton’s PAC.

It states, “Bolton is committed to supporting candidates for elected office who believe in protecting American freedoms by securing U.S. interests in a challenging world. The John Bolton PAC and the John Bolton Super PAC have raised more than $6 million to date with nearly $3 million cash on hand.

It’s unclear when President Trump will announce the replacement for Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor. Flynn resigned a week ago after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with a Russian ambassador.

The role of National Security Advisor is appointed by the President, without confirmation by the Senate.

Click here to read the full release.