Trump tied Ukraine funds to Biden probe
NYT says Bolton’s description of his exchange with Trump appears in drafts of his forthcoming book
Washington, Jan. 27: President Donald Trump told his national security adviser he wanted to maintain a freeze on military assistance to Ukraine until it aided political investigations into his Democratic rivals, according to a report in The New York Times on Sunday.
The newspaper said John Bolton’s description of his exchange with Trump appears in drafts of his forthcoming book.
The revelation challenges the defence offered up by Trump and his attorneys in his Senate impeachment trial and raises the stakes as the chamber decided this week whether to seek sworn testimony from Bolton and other witnesses.
Bolton, who acrimoniously left the White House a day before Trump ultimately released the Ukraine aid on Sept. 11, has already told lawmakers that he is willing to testify, despite the president's order barring aides from cooperating in the probe.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment Sunday night. Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, who has played a prominent role in the Ukraine affair, replied to a request for comment with a text: “I used to like and respect John and tell people they were wrong about how irresponsible he was. I was wrong.”
Democrats need at least four Republicans to vote with them to seek witness testimony.
Those prospects looked unlikely in recent days and it's unclear if the new revelations about Bolton’s book will sway any GOP senators.
Democrats quickly sought to ramp up the pressure on their Republican counterparts.
“John Bolton has the evidence,” tweeted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“It's up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump's actions testify in the Senate trial.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had no immediate comment, according to his office. The
Associated Press has not confirmed the content of Bolton’s draft book. A person familiar with the matter told the AP the book had been submitted to the White House for pre-publication review, which is standard for the work of former officials with security clearances.
The person insisted on anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject. The book’s publisher, Simon & Schuster, declined to comment.
Sarah Tinsley, an adviser to Bolton, said: “The ambassador’s manuscript was transmitted to the White House in hard copy several weeks ago for prepublication review by the NSC. The ambassador has not passed the draft manuscript to anyone else. Period.” Bolton attorney Charles J. Cooper said in a statement that the prepublication review process had been “corrupted and that information has been disclosed by persons other than those properly involved in reviewing the manuscript.”