TIME Magazine has apparently found witnesses (plural) to corroborate Melody Townsel's tale of woe about John Bolton. Unfortunately, they don't give any details about who they are or what they said.
Their story (at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1053670,00.html) seems to indicate general pessimism about his nomination. I'm not buying celebratory beer and smokes just yet, though.
But tales of Bolton's ferocious management style seemed to strike a toxic note. One charge came from Melody Townsel, who dispatched an impassioned e-mail to the committee about her encounters with Bolton while working for a private subcontractor on a 1994 U.S. Agency for International Development (AID) mission in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan.
Townsel says she wrote a letter to AID officials complaining about the lack of funds for the project from the contractor, a company that had hired Bolton as a lawyer. "Within hours after dispatching that letter," Townsel told the committee, "my hell began. Mr. Bolton proceeded to chase me through the halls of a Russian hotel--throwing things at me, shoving threatening letters under my door and generally behaving like a madman ... Mr. Bolton then routinely visited [my hotel] to pound on the door and shout threats."
Later, Townsel says, Bolton falsely told AID and other U.S. officials that she was under investigation for misuse of funds. Democrats and TIME have found witnesses to corroborate parts of Townsel's story. Republicans point out that she is a Democrat who was a member of the Dallas chapter of Mothers Opposing Bush during the 2004 campaign. Townsel tells TIME she did public relations work for the organization but insists her story about her encounter with Bolton--which "had a tremendous, terrible impact on me"--is true.
Just for the record, I also wanted to post these two e-mails, to rebut the Republicans' allegations that Melody waited until the very last second to send in her letter. She actually e-mailed her letter to every member of the Senate committee on Friday, April 8, before the hearings even started. It wasn't until Friday, April 15 (when I posted my Kos diary with Mel's letter) that anybody paid attention it.
Here's what she received via e-mail from Norm Coleman on April 11:
-----Original Message-----
From: (address deleted)
[mailto:(address deleted)]
Sent: Monday, April 11, 2005 9:31 AM
To: (address deleted)
Subject: Re: www_email
Dear Ms. Townsel :
Thank you for taking the time to contact me concerning the nomination of Undersecretary John Bolton for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations (UN).
As you may know, on May 8, 2001, the Senate confirmed the nomination of John Bolton to be Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Previously, Undersecretary Bolton served as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs at the Department of State, Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice, Assistant Administrator for Program and Policy Coordination and General Counsel at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Undersecretary Bolton also served as the Senior Vice President of the American Enterprise Institute. On March 7, 2005, John Bolton was nominated to be Ambassador to the United Nations.
Generally, my approach with respect to Presidential nominations, whether they be Democrats or Republicans, is to show due deference to the President's choice in my advise and consent role as long as the nominee is qualified and competent to hold the position and is free of any moral turpitude. I believe Undersecretary Bolton is competent and well-qualified and look forward to his confirmation hearings where he will have the opportunity to address any specific questions people may have about his qualifications and fitness for the office.
Undersecretary Bolton is a tough diplomat that shares the President's strong commitment toward making multilateral organizations effective. He has worked to convince France and Germany to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, an effort by the international community to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). While he has criticized the UN, he has also worked closely with the UN, and even worked pro bono for the UN's efforts in Western Sahara . I believe we need an Ambassador at
the UN who will be effective in promoting UN reform which, in turn, will lead to more support for the UN in the United States . I believe Undersecretary Bolton is well-suited for the job.
Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me. Although you and I may agree and disagree at times, please know I always appreciate hearing from you and that I value your advice. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I may be of further assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Norm Coleman
United States Senate
And here's what she received from Joe Biden on April 8:
-----Original Message-----
From: Biden, Senator (Biden) [mailto:(address deleted]
Sent: Friday, April 08, 2005 10:14 AM
To: (address deleted)
Subject: your e-mail message
Thank you for your e-mail message. I appreciate having the benefit of your views.
This response is an acknowledgement that we received your message and will make note of your comments. Delawareans seeking a further response who have included a postal address in their message will receive a reply via U.S. mail as soon as possible. NOTE: Because we have occasional problems with our e-mail system, Delawareans seeking immediate assistance are urged to call my office in Wilmington (phone number deleted).
For more information about the work I do as a Senator for Delaware, please visit my web site at http://biden.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
United States Senator