Tim Kaine Questions Whether John Bolton Can Get White House Security Clearance Because of Russia Ties

New national security adviser and committed lunatic warhawk John Bolton is such a scary dude, and so prone to starting wars, that even the New York Times opinion page took a break from running climate change denial op-eds to call this guy what he is: a dangerous ideologue looking to spark violence in North Korea and Iran. It’s legitimately frightening to have someone like that in Trump’s ear, and for the first time it feels like the circus of this administration could turn into something world-ending. Here’s one of Bolton’s most recent plays:

On Feb. 28, he insisted in a Wall Street Journal op-ed article that “it is perfectly legitimate for the United States to respond to the current ‘necessity’ posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons by striking first.”

God.

But Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) has another perspective, and he brought it up on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday. In 2013, Bolton recorded a really odd video that was used by a group called “The to Bear Arms”—a Russian outfit whose mission was to fight for more permissive gun laws in Russia. Bolton made the video at the request of NRA president David Keene, and you can watch his plea for a Russian constitutional equivalent to the second amendment below:

Per Politico, Kaine is using the episode to cast doubt on Bolton’s reliability:

“These kinds of contacts with foreign governments … raise real questions in my mind as to whether he can get a full security clearance or not…”

“We’ve already lost one national security adviser, Michael Flynn, because he was lying about foreign contacts,” Kaine said. “I have many, many questions.”

I have no idea if a video like this disqualifies Bolton, or if it’s just another creepy installment in the political life of a man who seems to fetishize violence, but obviously Senate democrats have found their approach.

Watch Kaine’s full appearance below: