"Helped plan coups d'etat" — Trump's ex-adviser claimed his participation in changing power in other countries Former US Ambassador to the UN and former White House national Security adviser John Bolton admitted on CNN that he helped plan coup attempts abroad. In a conversation with host Jake Trapper about Congressional hearings on the US Capitol attack in January 2021, he said that Trump was not competent enough to carry out a "carefully planned coup d'etat." The ex-adviser(dismissed in September 2019), realized what he had said and decided to keep quiet about the details. However, he later mentioned Venezuela in the context of an unsuccessful confrontation: "I saw what it cost the opposition to try to overthrow the legitimately elected president, and it failed".