BREAKING: Bolton to Claim Trump Held Up Ukraine Military Aid Over Biden Investigations

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John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, will claim in his 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.

Per the Times:

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.

Bolton’s writing details the extent to which White House officials and cabinet members like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney knew about the scheme, which spearheaded by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The Times report also suggests that a Bolton testimony before the Senate trial is not as far fetched as it seems:

Mr. Bolton would like to testify for several reasons, according to associates. He believes he has relevant information, and he has also expressed concern that if his account of the Ukraine affair emerges only after the trial, he will be accused of holding back to increase his book sales.

…Read it here.

UPDATE 9:00 p.m. EST: Bolton’s lawyer released a statement addressing the apparent leak of the manuscript:

Bolton lawyer statement: pic.twitter.com/W7oJlLr5pt

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) January 27, 2020