OPINION | Chris McCarthy: My Experience with Ambassador John Bolton

In October of 2016, I had an opportunity to interview Ambassador John Bolton, the man President Donald Trump has just chosen as his National Security Advisor.

The first thing I noticed about John Bolton when he appeared at the door of the Boston Herald Radio studio was his umbrella. He was holding his own umbrella, because he was traveling alone. He represented the United States in front of the world at the United Nations and is on many short lists for the presidency.

I have been around enough politicians and their staffers to be impressed by a man who walks alone.

He arrived at the studio early and was happy to talk with me off the air about the election and the state of the world. I can't express how unique it is for people in politics to show up on time and alone for an interview at his level.

John Bolton grew up in blue-collar Baltimore, Maryland. His father was a firefighter and his mother was a homemaker. He earned his undergraduate and his law degree from Yale University, along with classmate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. In addition to several partnerships in prestigious law firms, he has held positions in the Justice Department, the State Department and at leading think tanks.

I asked the man who is now going to advise President Trump on the air about the opioid crisis and the foreign policy solutions available to our country. He candidly explained that the gangsters in China, in conjunction with the communist bosses, are flooding the country with opioids. He pointed out that the Chinese gangsters are earning money from the trade in narcotics, and the Chinese government sees a strategic advantage to weakening their number one rival for world power. This is the kind of sober thinking we need if we are going to arrest the opioid crisis and save future generations.

When he spoke so honestly about the real world of opioids, I knew I was speaking to a blue collar guy from Baltimore. If his father was a firefighter today, he would be delivering medical attention on the front lines of the opioid crisis in the neighborhood where he grew up.

The illegal narcotics flooding America aren't being manufactured and imported by magic. There is a conspiracy and it needs to be confronted if it is going to be eradicated.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.