Mattis isn’t sure he can work with Bolton: report

Defense Secretary James Mattis has told colleagues he’s unsure if he can work with John Bolton, President Trump’s new pick for national security adviser, The New York Times reported.

Mattis reportedly told staffers he would find it difficult to work with Bolton prior to Trump’s announcement last Thursday that Bolton would replace H.R. McMaster.

Bolton is said to be an unpopular pick with both Mattis and White House chief of staff John Kelly.

{mosads}The president tweeted last Thursday evening that Bolton, the hawkish former George W. Bush administration official, will take over for McMaster on April 9. 

McMaster, an Army lieutenant general, will retire from the military, a White House official said.

Bolton served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under the Bush administration, and as undersecretary of State in the years leading up to the Iraq War, and had a focus on preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Democrats have expressed concerns about Bolton and his past pro-war views.

Bolton will be Trump’s third national security adviser. His first, Michael Flynn, resigned last year and has since pleaded guilty in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.