Trump Denies Bolton Book Report: ‘I NEVER Told John Bolton’ That Aid to Ukraine Was Tied to Biden Investigation
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President Donald Trump pushed back on reports that his former national security adviser John Bolton will claim in an upcoming book that the president wanted to withhold military aid from Ukraine until officials in the country announced investigations into Joe Biden and his family, the New York Times reported Sunday.
The stunning revelation comes as Trump battles an impeachment trial in the Senate over his efforts to have an investigation into his political rival announced by Ukraine, and undermines a chief argument of Republicans that military aid was not conditioned on such an announcement.
The NY Times reported:
Mr. Bolton’s explosive account of the matter at the center of Mr. Trump’s impeachment trial, the third in American history, was included in drafts of a manuscript he has circulated in recent weeks to close associates. He also sent a draft to the White House for a standard review process for some current and former administration officials who write books.
…
Over dozens of pages, Mr. Bolton described how the Ukraine affair unfolded over several months until he departed the White House in September. He described not only the president’s private disparagement of Ukraine but also new details about senior cabinet officials who have publicly tried to sidestep involvement.
Trump strongly denied the claims reported by the New York Times via Twitter, simply stating, “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” before suggesting that, if Bolton is saying this, “it was only to sell the book.” Trump tweeted early Monday morning:
I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
…transcripts of my calls with President Zelensky are all the proof that is needed, in addition to the fact that President Zelensky & the Foreign Minister of Ukraine said there was no pressure and no problems. Additionally, I met with President Zelensky at the United Nations…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
…(Democrats said I never met) and released the military aid to Ukraine without any conditions or investigations – and far ahead of schedule. I also allowed Ukraine to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles. My Administration has done far more than the previous Administration.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
