Donald Trump claimed Monday morning that he knew John Bolton was a 'wacko' when he hired him as his national security adviser – bu...
Donald Trump claimed Monday morning that he knew John Bolton was a 'wacko' when he hired him as his national security adviser – but asserted he didn't know he would be a 'liar.'
'I gave John Bolton, who was incapable of being Senate confirmed because he was considered a wacko, and was not liked, a chance. I always like hearing differing points of view,' Trump lashed out in a tweet as Bolton starts his book tour.
'He turned out to be grossly incompetent, and a liar,' he continued.
The president also referenced the Justice Department's attempt to block the memoir from being published with claimed that it contains 'highly classified' information.
'See judge's opinion. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION!!!' the president asserted in his tweet.
Bolton's book will hit shelves Tuesday after a judge dismissed the DOJ seeking a stop order – and the memoir details his 17 months as Trump's national security adviser.
In an interview with ABC News Monday morning – a follow up from an hour-long interview with the same network that aired Sunday night – Bolton claimed that he would not vote for the president's reelection, and urged other Republicans to do the same.
He also insisted to Good Morning America host George Stephenopoulos that it is up to voters to make Trump a one-term president, claiming he would be writing in a conservative Republican on his ballot in November.
'I hope [history] will remember him as a one-term president who didn't plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral we can't recall from,' Bolton said
'We can get over one term – I have absolute confidence, even if it's not the miracle of a conservative Republican being elected in November,' he added. 'Two terms, I'm more troubled about.'
Donald Trump admitted Monday morning that he hired John Bolton even though he knew he was a 'wacko,' insisting that he was not aware he would turn out to be a 'liar' and 'grossly incompetent'
Trump lashed out at Bolton as the former national security adviser starts his book tour, asserting that he revealed classified information in the book even though he has called the memoir 'fiction'
John Bolton refused to say Monday morning if he would comply with a subpoena if Democrats called him to testify about information he revealed in his upcoming book
'Let's see what they decide to do,' Bolton told ABC News' George Stephenopoulos of Democrats, also urging voters to make Trump a one-term president and claiming he will write in the name of a conservative Republican on the ballot in November
John Bolton responds to criticism of his book: “The primary way we reign presidents in is not through impeachments, it’s elections” gma.abc/2YnhJaf
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'I think one of the most important things I learned in watching Donald Trump up close, is he doesn't have any philosophy,' Bolton said of his tenure in the White House.
'It's all about Donald Trump. And that, to me, is a lesson for Americans as a whole – but particularly for conservative Republicans,' he added, claiming he 'cannot in good conscious vote for him.'
Bolton's book, The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir, will hit shelves Tuesday – after the Justice Department's stop order was denied by a Reagan-appointed judge who claimed 'the damage is done' as 20,000 copies have already been sent out, and some leaking to the press.
While the DOJ and Trump claimed the book contained 'highly classified' information – and the judge agreed – the president has also insisted that it is full of 'lies.'
Trump has continued to contradict the Justice Department's claims by saying it is a work of revenge 'fiction' for him firing Bolton, even though the former adviser claims he resigned.
Bolton would not say if he would comply with a subpoena if Democrats compelled him to testify regarding new information revealed in his upcoming book.
'Let's see what they decide to do,' Bolton dodged when Stephenopoulos asked if he would testify this time around. 'Look, let's be clear, the primary way that we reign presidents in is not through impeachment, it's through elections.'
'And, you know, what they do next, obviously, is up to them,' he said of the potential of a subpoena.
The main criticism of his book from Democrats, and some Republicans, is that instead of testifying before Congress as part of the impeachment proceedings, he decided to share that information in a bombshell book.
Bolton is promoting the Tuesday release of his new book, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, which details his 17 months as Trump's national security adviser
The move has been bashed as 'greedy' and selfish by the likes of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
President Donald Trump's former national security adviser threatened to sure Schiff's committee if they issued a subpoena for his testimony – prompting the panel to back off.
Bolton blamed Democrats for his decision not to appear in Congress, claiming in an interview that aired on ABC Sunday night with Martha Raddatz that they went about the proceedings in a 'politicized' manner and said his testimony 'would not have made a difference.'
'Presidential behavior can be reckless, reprehensible, dangerous – doesn't necessarily make it impeachable,' Bolton told Stephenopoulos Sunday morning. 'I think one of the mistakes that the Democrats made, and they made plenty, is the idea that everything is resolved through the impeachment process.'
'They mishandled it badly, I called it impeachment malpractice in the book,' he continued,
When pushed on why he decided to release a book rather than testify against the president on his first-hand knowledge of wrongdoing, Bolton said he was acting oh philosophy as a life-long conservative Republican.
Bolton reveals in the book that Trump did exactly what House Democrats accused him of doing in voting to impeach: condition millions in military aid to Ukraine on the country launching an investigation into political rival Joe Biden.
He also slammed Democrats in his interview with Raddatz for conducting a partisan impeachment, saying they were 'almost as bad and somewhat equivalent to' President Trump.
In the hour-long interview, Bolton defended his decision not to testify before Congress during the impeachment proceedings.
He writes in his new book that the Democratic-led House of Representatives committed malpractice by tailoring impeachment exclusively to Ukraine.
The House impeached the president after it was alleged that Trump sought to withhold aid from Ukraine unless the government in Kyiv investigated Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
As Barack Obama's vice president, Biden was in charge of U.S. policy toward Ukraine. The president and his supporters allege that Hunter Biden obtained a position on the board of a Ukrainian energy firm because of his father's standing.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton (left) defended his decision not to testify before Congress during impeachment proceedings, saying that the Democrats were 'almost as bad as and somewhat equivalent to' President Trump (right)
Bolton writes in his new book that the Democratic-led House of Representatives committed malpractice by tailoring impeachment exclusively to Ukraine. The image above shows House Rep. Adam Schiff, a House impeachment manager, speaking during closing arguments in the impeachment trial against Trump at the Senate in Washington, DC, on February 3
"Minds were made up on Capitol Hill."
John Bolton defends his decision not to testify during the impeachment trial, telling @martharaddatz, "It would not have made a difference." abcn.ws/2CuNohl
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Trump became just the third president in history to be impeached, though he was acquitted by the Senate, which has a majority of Republicans.
The House Intelligence Committee sought to bring Bolton in for testimony during its impeachment probe into Trump's conduct toward Ukraine, but he didn't participate, to the consternation of some Democrats who said he was saving material for his book.
When asked why he didn't testify, Bolton said the process in the House was too partisan.
'I was fully prepared [to testify] - if I got a subpoena like everybody else who testified got a subpoena,' Bolton said.
'I think the way the House advocates of impeachment proceeded was badly wrong.
'I think it was impeachment malpractice. I think they were determined because of their own political objectives to conduct an impeachment proceeding that was very narrowly focused on Ukraine, and that went very, very quickly.'
Bolton accused Democrats of managing the impeachment so as not to 'mess up the Democratic presidential nomination.'
'Now, I find that conduct almost as bad and somewhat equivalent to Trump,' Bolton said.
'That they're torqueing one of the gravest constitutional responsibilities the House of Representatives has, the power of impeachment, around their presidential nomination schedule.'
Bolton added: 'And they failed utterly to accomplish what they wanted. In fact, they made things worse.
'Because their strategy fitted with the Trump political strategy.
'Keep it narrow, and move it fast. So what did they do? The House advocates said, 'We have proven Trump is impeached forever, and that he'd learn a lesson from it.'
When asked if Trump learned his lesson after impeachment, Bolton said: 'It's absolutely 180 degrees the opposite of the truth.
'Because he was acquitted in the Senate. He didn't learn lessons from it, other than that he could get away with it, which leaves only the last guardrail - is the election this November.
'I think the House Democrats built a cliff, they threw themselves off of it. And halfway down, they looked up and saw me, and said, 'Hey, why don't you come along?''
In the interview, Bolton said he will not vote for either his former boss, Trump, or Biden this November.
Bolton, who was fired last year as Trump's national security adviser, gave a scathing assessment of the president in his new memoir, The Room Where It Happened.
'I don't think he's fit for office,' Bolton told ABC News on Sunday.
'I don't think he has the competence to carry out the job.'
Bolton, a lifelong Republican who has served in the White House for three GOP administrations, dismissed Trump as a true member of the party.
'I don't think he's a conservative Republican. I'm not gonna vote for him in November,' Bolton said.
'Certainly not gonna vote for Joe Biden either.
'I'm gonna figure out a conservative Republican to write in.
'But this comes back to the point of why I wrote the book.'
Earlier on Sunday, Bolton denied a report that he plans to vote for Biden.
Bolton gave an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Sunday in which he said he had no plans to vote for Trump in November.
But a spokesperson for Bolton told Axios that the newspaper incorrectly reported that the lifelong Republican hawk would cast a ballot for the Democrat, Biden.
'This statement is incorrect. The Ambassador never said he planned to vote for Joe Biden,' Bolton spokesperson Sarah Tinsley said in a statement to Axios.
'He has consistently said in recent days he will be writing in the name of a conservative Republican.
'Let there be no doubt - he will not be voting for Trump or Biden.'
The Telegraph quoted Bolton as saying: 'In 2016 I voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton.
'Now, having seen this president up close, I cannot do this again.
'My concern is for the country, and he does not represent the Republican cause that I want to back.'
Bolton continued: 'The president does not have a philosophical grounding or strategy.
'He does not know the difference between the national interest of the US, and the interests of Donald Trump.
'There is confusion over the national interest and his personal interest, which is very dangerous for the country.'
'When you are in a senior position you have an obligation to tell the truth,' he added.
'I was concerned after 17 months in the administration that he (Mr Trump) did not have the requisite competence to be president, and the American people need to know about that.'
n his interview with ABC News, Bolton warned that Trump poses a 'danger for the republic' and his re-election would put the country in even greater peril since he wouldn't be constrained by electoral considerations in a second term.
Trump's former national security adviser said the president has little regard for facts and that his decisions aren't rooted in 'philosophy, grand strategy, or policy' but are solely geared toward his own political future.
Bolton denied a report that he intends to vote for Joe Biden (above)
When asked how history will remember Trump, Bolton said: 'I hope it will remember him as a one-term president who didn't plunge the country irretrievably into a downward spiral we can't recall from.
'We can get over one term. I have absolute confidence - even if it's not the miracle of a conservative Republican being elected in November.
'Two terms, I'm more troubled about.
'But I'm really troubled about the absence as well of a viable national security wing in the Democratic Party.
'So this is an election for me of a choice of two unacceptable alternatives. And it's not one I relish.'
Bolton said that Trump's behavior 'shows a pattern quite contrary to the image he would like to convey, of a decisive president who knows something about what he's doing.
'There really isn't any guiding principle - that I was able to discern other than - what's good for Donald Trump's reelection,' Bolton said.
'Now, look, you can't take the politics out of politics. It plays a role in every aspect of decision making in the executive branch.
'But there's no coherent basis, no strategy, no philosophy.
'And decisions are made in a very scatter shot fashion, especially in the potentially mortal field of national security policy.
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