The Bolton Senate confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the UN is reaching a new level. According to the International Herald Tribune piece U.S. firms said to be named in withheld Bolton documents:

Some of the information that the White House has refused to provide to Congress for its review of the nomination of John Bolton includes the names of American companies mentioned in intelligence reports on commerce with China and other countries covered by export restrictions, say government officials who have been briefed on the documents.
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The names of the Americans and the companies remain highly classified, but they were provided to Bolton by the National Security Agency in response to special requests he made as under secretary of state for arms control.
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[The government officials] would not say what countries other than China might have been the subject of the reports, but noted that Bolton’s responsibilities also included monitoring efforts to prevent Iran, Libya and other countries from acquiring dangerous weapons.

American companies have been caught by the NSA to illegally deal with sanctioned countries. Bolton succeeded to have their names revealed to him and has most probably shared his knowledge with other people.

Bolton, and whoever he shared these names with, now has a supreme tool to blackmail those companies for whatever he likes to achieve.

Money for political campaigns – here it is. A nice job in the top league – you are welcome. Some embargoed stuff delivered to the Israeli Defense Force – our pleasure. Material support to some South American right wing guerrilla – our subsidiary will take care. The possibilities are endless and given Bolton’s cjaracter he did not ask for this tool to stack it away unused. (BTW: Is there a connection to the Franklin/AIPAC spy affair?)

To let the names out to the Senate’s Foreign Relation Committee would take away this blackmail opportunity. It would also embarrass and probably put to jail some CEOs and former CEOs, one of whom is currently in the White House and is Bolton’s personal patron.

This a WMD on time fuse right in basement of the White House and it is ticking. The White House may be able to hold that clock for a moment by retracting the Bolton nomination, but there seem to be some seriously disgruntled Deep Throat’s out there that will hopefully keep talking.