CNN: White House Makes a Move Against Bolton's Book

Sources tell CNN it sent him a formal threat to stop publication
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 29, 2020 9:52 AM CST
Updated Jan 29, 2020 11:47 AM CST
Trump: If I Had Listened to Bolton, We'd Be in 'World War 6'
President Donald Trump, left, shakes hands with national security adviser John Bolton in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 9, 2018, at the start of a meeting with military leaders.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Trump had a few things to say about John Bolton in the early hours of Wednesday—and the White House may have said something to him, if CNN's sources are to be believed. They say the Trump administration has sent a "formal threat" to Bolton to stop Simon & Schuster from publishing his upcoming book. Bolton, of course, has been a big question mark in Trump's impeachment trial after news broke that his manuscript alleges Trump explicitly told Bolton he was withholding military aid from Ukraine until the country announced an investigation into the Bidens and other Democrats. It's not yet clear whether Democrats will get the votes they need to call witnesses, including Bolton, to testify at the impeachment trial. But whether or not they do, Trump doesn't seem to think Bolton bears any listening to:

  • "Why didn’t John Bolton complain about this 'nonsense' a long time ago, when he was very publicly terminated. He said, not that it matters, NOTHING!" Trump tweeted just after midnight. (He also retweeted the tweet Wednesday morning.)

  • Then, in two tweets posted at about 7:30am, he added: "For a guy who couldn’t get approved for the Ambassador to the U.N. years ago, couldn’t get approved for anything since, 'begged' me for a non Senate approved job, which I gave him despite many saying 'Don’t do it, sir,' takes the job, mistakenly says 'Libyan Model' on T.V., and many more mistakes of judgement, gets fired because frankly, if I listened to him, we would be in World War Six by now, and goes out and IMMEDIATELY writes a nasty & untrue book. All Classified National Security. Who would do this?"
  • Trump also weighed in on the Democrats' desire to call witnesses in general, tweeting Tuesday night (and then retweeting Wednesday morning), "No matter how many witnesses you give the Democrats, no matter how much information is given, like the quickly produced Transcripts, it will NEVER be enough for them. They will always scream UNFAIR. The Impeachment Hoax is just another political CON JOB!"
  • He added Wednesday morning, "Remember Republicans, the Democrats already had 17 witnesses, we were given NONE! Witnesses are up to the House, not up to the Senate. Don’t let the Dems play you!"
(More Trump impeachment stories.)

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