Bolton: Trump Did Bad Things to Help Reelection Chances

Former national security adviser had refused to testify against Trump in impeachment inquiry
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2020 5:00 PM CDT
Bolton's Book Has Accusations, but Democrats Say It's Too Late
National Security Adviser John Bolton, accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and President Donald Trump, speaks in the Oval Office in February 2019.   (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

John Bolton makes serious accusations in his new book, including charges that President Trump did things to help him be reelected that could have been impeachable. But some Democrats don't want to hear it, Politico reports. "John, we begged you to testify in impeachment," said Norm Eisen, a House Judiciary Committee lawyer during the impeachment process, adding: "You persistently refused. Now you want us to feel sorry for you & buy your book?" Rep. Mike Quigley said, "At the time the country needed him most, and history will reflect, he chose to sell books." Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, had no comment, but other Democrats pointed out that the revelations in Bolton's memoir would have been more help to them a few months ago; Trump was acquitted in a Senate trial in February.

Chaos reigned in White House decision-making, and "getting reelected was the only thing that mattered" to Trump, Bolton writes in The Room Where It Happened. House Democrats blew it by limiting their impeachment inquiry, Bolton said. The former national security adviser can prove "Ukraine-like transgressions" throughout Trump's foreign policy, Bolton's publisher said Friday in a description of the book. But after refusing to testify, Bolton said in February at Vanderbilt University, "I will bet you a dollar right here and now my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome." Quigley said Friday that he'd give Bolton "one more chance to show some glimmer of standing up for what is right." But he also said he hoped people would borrow the book rather than buy it. (More John Bolton stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X