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“URGING JOHN BOLTON TO WITHDRAW HIS NAME FROM CONSIDERATION AS AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H7599 on July 29, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
URGING JOHN BOLTON TO WITHDRAW HIS NAME FROM CONSIDERATION AS
AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Price of Georgia). Under a previous order of the House, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, this morning's Washington Post reported that President Bush's choice to the United Nations, Ambassador John Bolton, made a false statement to Congress, stating on a written questionnaire that he had not been questioned in recent years by investigators in an official inquiry.
In fact, the State Department acknowledged yesterday that Mr. Bolton had been interviewed on July 18, 2003, by the State Department's Inspector General about possible Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger. Mr. Bolton stated he did not recall the Inspector General's inquiry and his form was inaccurate in this regard and that he will correct the form.
Mr. Speaker, with all the attention given to the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, it seems to me that it is almost inconceivable that an event that important could inadvertently be overlooked.
Mr. Speaker, this revelation comes on the heels of a barrage of negative reports about Mr. Bolton from those who work most closely with him. It has become apparent, as members of his own parties have spoken and have very serious concerns about his temperament and his integrity to fill one of the most important positions in some of the most important times in our history.
The time has come for Mr. Bolton to voluntarily withdraw his name from consideration to be United States Ambassador to the U.N. Members of both bodies have urged his defeat, and I commend a Republican Senator from Ohio who passionately said that he is the wrong person at the wrong time.
As a member of the House Committee on International Relations and a congressional representative to the United Nations, I believe that there are many excellent candidates that President Bush could choose for this critical position.
Again, I urge John Bolton to do the honorable thing and withdraw. Our Nation is bigger than an individual. Our Nation's needs supersede that of an individual. At this time we need the best and the brightest, one who will unite and gather support for our Nation in a strong, clear, but diplomatic way.
I ask Mr. Bolton to do the right thing for our wonderful Nation and offer his withdrawal.
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