Washington Free Beacon editor Matthew Continetti predicted that incoming National Security Adviser John Bolton would become an "essential member of the Trump administration" in an MSNBC appearance Saturday.
Bolton, who served as United Nations ambassador during the George W. Bush administration, will begin his tenure on Monday to replace H.R. McMaster. His appointment has been met with fierce criticism from Democrats due to positions they deem too hawkish.
MSNBC host Hugh Hewitt asked Continetti what he expected out of him at the outset of his tenure.
"I expect quite a bit, because John Bolton has one thing that a lot of Trump appointees have not had, and that is extensive experience working the bureaucracy, and I think Bolton is going to be able to really implant himself and start shaping what the National Security Council personnel look like, bringing in more conservatives maybe, more America Firsters, and protecting them, their positions," Continetti said.
He added he would be able to play the inter-agency process well with an ally like Mike Pompeo as the likely next secretary of state and Defense Secretary James Mattis.
"I think John Bolton will quickly become an essential member of the Trump administration," Continetti said.
The Atlantic staff writer Elaina Plott said her Republican sources on Capitol Hill were uniformly enthusiastic about Bolton's ascension to his new position. She said the idea of a Bolton-Pompeo foreign policy team would give him "credence with his base."
Bolton tweeted Sunday he looked forward to getting started and "working with President Trump and his team to keep America safe and secure in these challenging times."
Tomorrow I look forward to starting as National Security Advisor, and working with President Trump and his team to keep America safe and secure in these challenging times.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) April 8, 2018