Bolton Vows To Put Law Above Politics
John Bolton may surprise you. As expected, he’ll tell you the ways he disagrees with the incumbent he’s looking to unseat in November’s elections, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. He’ll promise to. . .
John Bolton may surprise you. As expected, he’ll tell you the ways he disagrees with the incumbent he’s looking to unseat in November’s elections, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. He’ll promise to stop pursuing dozens of lawsuits against President Trump. He’ll defend ICE agents’ rights to make arrests in courthouses and Glock owners’ rights against a new partial ban. He’ll argue against mandatory vaccination. But he’ll also promise to continue some of Tong’s lawsuits, based on his reading of the law. Even when that means defending positions he doesn’t necessarily share — such as transgender and abortion rights. He’ll argue against cops contracting to use license-plate readers. Bolton —not the guy of the same name with the bushy moustache; but a New Haven-born lawyer living in Westport — did all that in an interview Tuesday on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven” program. Bolton, who’s 60, spoke about his campaign as Republican candidate for state attorney general. The attorney general represents and advises state government agencies; and handles civil litigation on behalf of the state, whether suing the president or private companies that cheat consumers. Democrat Tong, 53, is seeking a third four-year term; he regularly announces filing suits and reaching court settlements (likethis oneandthis one) in consumer protection or antitrust cases and has made headlines by joining fellow attorneys general in filing over 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Bolton said he’s running on “common sense” and “the rule of law. ”“It’s not about politics,” he said. “This is the one constitutional office of the six that are running, where my guide is not political judgment. It’s not polls. It’s not the political winds that are in the air. It’s what does the rule of law say. ”Specifically, that means the federal government, not states, have say over tariffs, Bolton argued. So he wouldn’t have supported Tong’s office’ssuccessful lawsuit (along with other Democratic AGs) against Trump on that subject. It means that — whether or not you like the idea of agents wearing masks or following suspects into schools or courthouse — the state doesn’t get to “impede” or put limits on how federal immigration agents conduct investigations and arrests, Bolton argued. So he opposes some provisions in theTong-supported Connecticut TRUST Act, over which the Trump administration is suing both the state and New Haven. Similarly, Bolton argued, that means the Trump administration, not the states, decides whether to grant permission for wind farms. Even ones that have already received needed preliminary approvals,like the ones that Tong’s office is trying to save. “That’s what happens when you win an election. You get somebody you don’t like that wins. They have certain policies you’re not going to dig, and you just can’t use the courts to try to even the playing field from your failures in November of 2024,” Bolton said. Unlike Tong, Bolton said he supports requiring voters to show IDs at the polls. (“Hey, if you want to go and see my opponent in his office in Hartford, you got to have a photo ID to get in. ”) He opposes the new Tong-supported state ban on new sales of Glock-style pistols capable of being converted into machine guns. (“I’ve never fired a gun in my life. But the Second Amendment is pretty clear it talks about the right to bear arms. … The Glock is a firearm. ”)And yet …Bolton said he agrees with the argument of Tong and fellow AGs who successfully sued to prevent Trump’s administration from holding back Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals that offer gender-affirming care. It’s up to the legislature, not the executive branch, to make those decisions, he said. Just as he agreed with Tong that the president cannot “by executive order, order a state to do something with their elections. It has to be an act of Congress. ”And “if anybody challenges Connecticut’s abortion statute, I’m going to upold that and fight to keep that in place — because it’s lawfully enacted,” Bolton said. As for license-plate readers, he called the current practice “illegal surveillance” in violation of the Fifth Amendment. “The state has the right to have license plates and access for law enforcement to determine whether it’s registered and your valid driver’s license. But when you use it to determine the whereabouts and habits … It’s my understanding that a lot of information can be gleaned from that stuff. They’re talking far more than automotive. ”Asked about Bolton’s criticisms, Tong’s office issued a statement about how it has “generated and protected more than $5. 2 billion for the state, more than 22 times its operative costs” through lawsuits involving healthcare, travel disrupters, and scams. It cited “more than 50 lawsuits” the office filed “to fight back against a lawless president hellbent on inflicting maximum harm to our families and courts” as well as Big Tech, utilities, and the “opioid and addiction industry. ” It reserved specific rebuttals to Bolton’s comments for a similar upcoming one-on-one candidate interview. (Click hereto read a letter Tong co-wrote opposing voter IDs and the SAVE ACT. )Bolton’s varied positions can be traced to a career focused on individual rights and concern about government overreach. Born at Yale-New Haven Hospital (his grandfather William Bolton served as city engineer for over 40 years and co-ran a society orchestra featuring singer Rudy Vallée), Bolton grew up in West Hartford, the son of a career investigator in the state’s bipartisan auditor’s office. He began practicing law in Fairfield County in the 1990s, working for civil-rights lawyer Burton Weinstein. He worked on excessive force cases against the police as well as mishandled domestic-violence cases. Bolton said he began growing interested in state politics when Covid hit and he represented school teachers seeking exceptions to a vaccine mandate. Bolton concluded that the state had not legally crafted the ban. He lost the case but caught the bug to challenge how the state does business. Meanwhile, he served until recently on Westport’s planning and zoning board; he lost a race two years ago for state representative. Bolton said he has enjoyed traveling the state to hone his current campaign message this summer. “I’ll tell you right now,” he said. “Five to 10 times a year, when I get elected, I am going to have to defend an agency decision or a law that I don’t personally or politically agree with. ” And, he promised, he will. Click on the below video to watch the full conversation with GOP attorney general candidate John Bolton on WNHH FM’s “Dateline New Haven. ”Click hereto subscribe orhereto listen to other episodes of “Dateline New Haven. ”