The New York Times published new impeachment claims by former National Security Advisor John Bolton from Bolton’s new book due in March on Sunday, the same day that Bolton’s book became available for pre-order.
The revelations from Bolton’s book, according to unpublished manuscripts reviewed by the New York Times, are Bolton accusing President Donald Trump of tying Ukraine military aid to political motivated investigations.
BREAKING: John Bolton's book, "The Room Where it Happened," is tentatively slated for release on March 17. The Amazon page just went live https://t.co/dZ1AkZDQ7x
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 27, 2020
This is obviously book promo coordinated with compliant media, yes. But an additional word of skepticism: these *particular* folks have a pattern of overpromising and underachieving with their "bombshell" anti-Trump book roll outs. https://t.co/xid14bUvmG
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) January 27, 2020
The Times reports that in the book, Bolton’s timeline of events last year show Trump wanting to continue withholding nearly $400 million in military aid to the European nation until Ukrainian officials pledged to investigate corruption related to the Biden family.
Bolton’s book reveals what the former national security advisor would have likely told Congress over the course of the impeachment proceedings and comes as the question over whether the Senate will call witnesses to offer new trial testimony remains open. Bolton has said he would comply with a Senate subpoena to testify in the impeachment trial if requested.
House Democrats rushed the impeachment investigations in the House last fall in an effort to force a full-chamber vote on the articles by Christmas, arguing that Trump was an urgent danger to the survival of American democracy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then undercut the Democrats’ case for urgency by withholding the articles of impeachment from the Senate for a trial to begin by more than four weeks.
Bolton’s new claims contradict testimony from multiple witnesses who appeared before the House arguing that the president wanted no quid pro quo with Ukraine over the military aid, which was ultimately released by congressional deadline.
A copy of Bolton’s book was provided to White House officials to vet the manuscript for classified information in a standard process by former government officials who write books. The timing of the manuscript’s leaked details to the New York Times to coincide with the book’s availability for pre-order online raises questions about the allegations’ credibility. Bolton’s team has denied being behind the leak, blaming the New York Times’ scoop on those working on the review process in the White House under the National Security Council’s Records Management Division.
“It is clear, regrettably, from The New York Times article published today that the prepublication review process has been corrupted and that information has been disclosed by persons other than those involved in reviewing the manuscript,” Bolton attorney Charles Cooper said in a statement to the Associated Press.
