 Bolton Abused His Powers By Probing National Security Agency Intercepts. Bolton “used his position as a senior State Department official to obtain details about intercepted communications involving other American officials that were monitored by the National Security Agency, according to Mr. Bolton's own account. The identities of American officials whose communications are intercepted are usually closely protected by law, and not included even in classified intelligence reports. Access to the names may be authorized by the NSA only in response to special requests, and these are not common, particularly from policy makers.” [New York Times, 4/14/05]  Bolton Removed Expert Who Disagreed With Him. In 2003, Bolton “ordered a young official working closely with then-Secretary of State Colin L. Powell removed from duties in the State Department's nonproliferation bureau in what U.S. officials described as a third attempt by Bolton to purge career officials he perceived as impeding his policy goals.” Sources said “Rexon Ryu, an expert on nonproliferation issues in the Middle East, was transferred to another bureau after he failed to produce a document requested by Bolton's chief of staff.” Bolton “reportedly accused Ryu of concealing the information and of insubordination.” [Washington Post, 4/15/05]  Bolton’s Privileges Were Restricted At State Department. While working at the State Department, Bolton angered enough senior State Department officials with his comments that his privileges were restricted by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. Armitage “ordered two years ago that Mr. Bolton be blocked from delivering speeches and testimony unless they were personally approved by Mr. Armitage. [New York Times, 5/10/05]  Bolton Might Have Acted Improperly to Alter Intelligence Assessments. Senate Democrats alleged that Bolton, while an official at the State Department, "tried to stretch the envelope" on intelligence assessments of unconventional weapons capabilities in Cuba, Iran and North Korea. There is also a question of whether “Bolton improperly sought to toughen intelligence assessments of Syria as late as the summer of 2003, after the American failure to find illicit weapons in Iraq had raised alarms about the danger of inflated intelligence.” [Los Angeles Times, 5/11/05; New York Times, 5/5/05] TOURISM PROMOTION ABROAD XXXX Voted Against Creating a Nonprofit Entity to Promote the U.S. as a Travel Destination. In February 2010, XXXX voted against a bipartisan bill to create a nonprofit entity designed to promote the United States as a destination for foreign tourists. The bill (HR 1299) would authorize $10 million in startup funds in fiscal 2010 — and would match as much as $100 million a year in corporate contributions in subsequent years. The bill passed 78- 18. [CQ Today, 2/25/10; Vote 28, 2/25/10]  XXXX Voted Against Cloture on the Travel Promotion Bill. Earlier in the evening, XXXX voted against cloture. Senate agreed to a motion to end debate on the measure, 76-20. [Vote 26, 2/25/10] XXXX Voted Against Tourism Promotion Bill. In September 2009, XXXX voted against a travel promotion bill. The bill would create a nonprofit corporation to promote the United States abroad as a tourist destination. It would authorize $10 million in seed money in fiscal year 2010 and in the future match as much as $100 million a year in corporate contributions. The federal share would come from a $10 fee assessed on users of the Visa Waiver Program, which allows citizens of specified countries — mostly in Europe — to travel to the United States for up to 90 days without obtaining visas. The bill passed 79-19. [CQ Today, 9/09/09; Vote 272, 9/09/09]  XXXX Voted Against Considering Tourism Promotion Bill. In September 2009, XXXX voted against considering a bill create a nonprofit corporation intended to promote the United States abroad as a tourist destination. It would authorize $10 million in seed money in fiscal 2010 and in the future match as much as $100 million each year in corporate contributions. The federal share would come from a $10 fee assessed on users of a visa waiver program. The motion to invoke cloture passed 80-19. [CQ Today, 9/08/09; Vote 271, 9/08/09] 136