Bolton Says He’s Worried Trump White House Could Suppress His Book
John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, alluded Monday that he was worried the administration could try to bury details about his time in the White House as it reviews the manuscript for his highly anticipated memoir.
“I hope it’s not suppressed,” Bolton reportedly said during a 90-minute appearance at Duke University. “This is an effort to write history, and I did it the best I can. We’ll have to see what comes out of the censorship.”
The remarks were Bolton’s first public statements since the conclusion of Congress’s impeachment inquiry into Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine to investigate a political rival. The president was impeached in the House on two charges: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The Senate acquitted him last month, largely along party lines.
Bolton has frustrated those who hoped he would share details about his work for Trump as many current and former officials testified he was a key witness to the president’s effort to compel Ukraine to open an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Bolton had offered to testify should the Senate subpoena him, but Democrats weren’t able to gain enough votes to do so, and he’s made no public statements on the matter.
The auditorium applauds when Duke professor Peter Feaver asks Bolton why he was willing to comply with Senate subpoena but not House subpoena.
— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) February 17, 2020
He again declined to speak about the Ukraine episode on Monday, merely saying that readers would “love Chapter 14” of his book, which is undergoing a prepublication national security review. The administration has already issued a terse warning about the contents of the manuscript, telling Bolton it contains “significant amounts” of classified information, including details marked “top secret” (Bolton has maintained that there are no classified details in the book).
The book...
