The White House’s trade representative in late August withdrew a recommendation to restore some of Ukraine’s trade privileges after John Bolton, then-national security adviser, warned him that President Trump probably would oppose any action that benefited the government in Kyiv, according to people briefed on the matter.The August exchange between Bolton and Lighthizer over the trade matter represents the first indication that the administration’s suspension of assistance to Ukraine extended beyond the congressionally authorized military aid and security assistance to other government programs. It is not clear whether Trump directed Bolton to intervene over Ukraine’s trade privileges or was even aware of the discussion.
Tag: John Bolton
Putin and Hungary’s Orban helped sour Trump on Ukraine
Neither of those foreign leaders specifically encouraged Trump to see Ukraine as a potential source of damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, nor did they describe Kyiv as complicit in an unsubstantiated 2016 election conspiracy theory, officials said.
Mick Mulvaney implicated by Trump official who testified before Congress on Monday: report
Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney was implicated by a former top National Security Council official during nine-hours of congressional testimony, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The newspaper reported, “In her testimony, she detailed a July 10 meeting she attended with senior Ukrainian officials, then-National Security Adviser John Bolton, and other U.S. officials in which the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, raised the issue of the investigations, the people said.”
“People in the room took the comments to refer to an investigation that could implicate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, the people said. Both Ms. Hill and Mr. Bolton left the meeting with concerns about what had transpired, and Ms. Hill said Mr. Bolton instructed her to talk to NSC lawyer John Eisenberg,” the newspaper’s sources said.
View the complete October 15 article by Bob Brigham from Raw Story on the AlterNet website here.
Trump’s former Russia aide met with White House lawyer over Giuliani
Fiona Hill departed the administration days before Trump’s July 25 call to Ukraine.
President Donald Trump’s former top Russia aide Fiona Hill told House impeachment investigators on Monday that she had at least two meetings with a National Security Council lawyer about Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to convince Ukrainian officials to investigate the president’s political rivals, according to a person who was in the room for the testimony.
Hill told lawmakers and aides that then-national security adviser John Bolton, after learning of Giuliani’s efforts, told her to speak with lawyer John Eisenberg, the person said. Hill testified that she met with Eisenberg briefly on July 10, the same day she attended a meeting with Ukrainian officials at the White House. Hill said she had a longer meeting with Eisenberg on July 11, the person added.
Hill also told House impeachment investigators that Bolton told her, “I am not part of whatever drug deal Rudy and Mulvaney are cooking up,” referring to the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, whom Hill believed was involved in the discussions about Ukraine. Hill also said Bolton described Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, as “a hand grenade who’s going to blow everybody up.”
Bolton Objected to Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Calling Giuliani ‘a Hand Grenade’
WASHINGTON — The effort to pressure Ukraine for political help provoked a heated confrontation inside the White House last summer that so alarmed John R. Bolton, then the national security adviser, that he told an aide to alert White House lawyers, House investigators were told on Monday.
Mr. Bolton got into a tense exchange on July 10 with Gordon D. Sondland, the Trump donor turned ambassador to the European Union, who was working with Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, to press Ukraine to investigate Democrats, according to three people who heard the testimony.
The aide, Fiona Hill, testified that Mr. Bolton told her to notify the chief lawyer for the National Security Council about a rogue effort by Mr. Sondland, Mr. Giuliani and Mick Mulvaney, the acting White House chief of staff, according to the people familiar with the testimony.
Scoop: John Bolton to write Trump book, pairs with top agents
President Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton has decided to write a book about his time in the Trump administration, according to 2 people familiar with the matter. Bolton has agreed to be represented by Javelin’s Matt Latimer and Keith Urbahn.
Why it matters: Given the fact that he wrote a book about his tenure in the George W. Bush administration, from the moment he left the White House, senior officials privately expressed concerns about what Bolton might say and reveal about his time serving Trump.
View the complete October 10 article by Jonathan Swan on the Axios website here.
John Bolton has finally spoken, and he put up a big warning sign about Trump and North Korea
John Bolton spoke Monday in his first big public appearance since his acrimonious split with President Trump three weeks ago.
And while Bolton didn’t weigh in on the growing Ukraine scandal, he did rebuke the Trump administration over one of its central foreign policy initiatives: the pursuit of a nuclear deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Appearing at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Bolton declined to directly address things that had occurred during his time in the White House. But he made few bones about his concerns surrounding Trump’s continued pursuit of the elusive deal.
Bolton set the tone by noting early on that he was about to speak about North Korea in “unvarnished terms” and suggested that Kim was happy to see him outside the White House. Bolton then suggested that the negotiations between the two sides were very likely to be fruitless.
View the complete September 30 article by Aaron Blake on The Washington Post website here.
‘Doomed To Failure’: Bolton Dishing Dirt On Trump White House
Newly ousted National Security Adviser John Bolton has already begun disparaging his former boss, President Donald Trump, according to a new report from Politico.
The outlet revealed details of Bolton’s comments at a private lunch Wednesday in Manhattan hosted by the conservative Gatestone Institute.
Unsurprisingly, the report revealed that Bolton, a notorious warmonger, was at odds with the president over his recent effort to bring the Taliban to Camp David to negotiate a drawdown of troops in Afghanistan. He also reportedly said that Trump’s policy toward Iran and North Korea was “doomed to failure.”
Bolton exit provokes questions about Trump shift on Iran
Iran hawks and doves alike believe that President Trump’s policy toward the Islamic Republic will shift with the ouster of national security adviser John Bolton.
That’s provoked some concern from hawks, who worry Bolton’s departure could lead to a softening toward Iran given Trump’s flirtation with meeting the country’s leader.
They are particularly worried when it comes to the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration that has been shunned by Trump.
View the complete September 15 article by Rebecca Kheel on The Hill website here.
Pompeo sees status grow with Bolton exit
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has solidified his status as President Trump’s most influential adviser on foreign policy with the ouster of former national security adviser John Bolton.
Trump on Wednesday tore into Bolton, mocking him as “Mr. Tough Guy” and blaming him for causing setbacks on North Korea and lamenting that he made “some very big mistakes.”
By comparison, Pompeo has maintained a strong relationship with the president and emerged as one of his most trusted allies by falling in line with Trump’s final decisions.