Former National Security Advisor John Bolton admitted Wednesday that his testimony in President Donald Trump’s recent impeachment proceedings involving Ukraine would have had no impact on the trial’s outcome even after sections of his upcoming book leaked attempting to convict the president in its final days.
“People can argue about what I should have said and what I should have done,” Bolton said at Vanderbilt University Wednesday night during a forum with his predecessor Susan Rice, according to ABC News. “I will bet you a dollar right here and now my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome.”
“I sleep at night because I have followed my conscience,” Bolton added.
Rice challenged Bolton’s decision to remain silent throughout the process despite not ever being subpoenaed by the House or Senate in the proceedings.
“It’s inconceivable to me that if I had firsthand knowledge of a gross abuse of presidential power, that I would withhold my testimony,” Rice said. “I would feel like I was shamefully violating my oath that I took to support and defend the Constitution.”
Bolton argued that the House botched the process and condemned House Democrats for having committed “impeachment malpractice.”
“The process drove Republicans who might have voted for impeachment away from the president because it was so partisan,” Bolton claimed.
Bolton’s new book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” is slated to be released next month is expected to reveal what Bolton might have said had he been forced to testify before lawmakers in the impeachment proceedings.
Because Bolton knew his book was undergoing vetting by the gov’t he could “leak” anything he wanted.
Even out-&-out lies.
As long as some things were forced out of the final draft by gov’t officials, he could falsely claim his leaks were cut out, too.
Turned out to be just a publicity stunt enabled by a Vindman bro.
So, how’s the pre-sale doing?
On Amazon it is 302 in Books.
Was it worth it, John B?
Pardon me for noticing, but there’s not a single, solitary thing in the Federalist article that supports the assertion they’re making in the article’s title. Nowhere did Bolton make such a statement, or say anything that even remotely implied that he meant such a thing.
Further, the meaning of the following quoted statement, “I will bet you a dollar right here and now my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome”, is being grossly misrepresented by the article’s author. It doesn’t mean Bolton had no material information he could have provided; it means that the outcome of the Senate trial was predetermined before the trial even began. This is known for a fact because Mitch McConnell publicly stated it to be the case before the trial even began.
The entire point of this sort of bullshit propaganda article is to present a claim in the article title. This seems to be the publication’s standardized format. The Federalist is nothing more than a propaganda rag. It’s classic yellow rag journalism gone digital. Bolton should consider suing the bastards.
@Greg: The NY times articles didnt say he was a material witness either they implied it but to sell books Bolton hasnt said one way or another.
Buy his book and tell us all.
Really. Well, how about LYING to every media outlet about a terrorist attack on a US consulate that resulted in US deaths? How do you feel about that? Damn… Democrats are dense.
But Bolton is correct; no matter what he said, it would not have mattered. The facts are that Zelensky never knew the aid was held, Zelensky never made any public statements to support Trump and the aid was released in a timely manner. In other words, what the Democrats accused NEVER HAPPENED.
Trump has just appointed devout cult loyalist Richard Grenell—a man with no national intelligence experience whatsoever—as Acting Director of National Intelligence, after the man he is replacing had Congress briefed on the multiple-agency conclusion that the Russians are already involved in efforts to promote Trump’s reelection in 2020.
Apparently directing our nation’s intelligence community will require minimal time or attention, as Grenell is reportedly keeping his full-time day job as the U.S. Ambassador to Germany.
Given the number of people who will likely see no problem with this, maybe what we actually need is some sort of National Intelligence Test.
@Greg: No doubt he’ll do better than a left wing globalist ideologue.
@Greg: Leon Panneta, shrug.
@Deplorable Me, #6:
Is Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire, former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center and former Acting Director of National Intelligence, the “left wing globalist ideologue” that you’re referring to?
Maquire spent his 36-year naval career as a Naval Special Warfare Officer, served as Commander of Naval Special Warfare Command, and earned a Navy SEAL Trident.
Is that the guy?
Grenell’s only “qualification” is that he’s yet another Trump tool. Trump had a fit because Maguire allowed Congress to be warned that Russia is mounting yet another effort to influence the outcome of the next presidential election in Trump’s favor. That congressional briefing took place February 13th. Multiple components of the U.S. intelligence community have independently arrived at the same conclusion.
@Greg: Trump has taken zero actions that would favor Russia, if they want Trump to win seems it wouldnt favor them politically.
I guess you are all looking for excuses for having no decent presidential rival, nice ground work, but we are in no mood for more of the last 4 years of Russia conspiracy crap.
@kitt, #9:
He cleared the way for the Russian supported Assad regime to regain full control of Syria. February 20, 2020 – ‘I Feel Like This Is the End’: A Million Fleeing Syrians Trapped by Assad’s Final Push
He lifted sanctions on three Russian companies tied to Putin’s buddy, oligarch Oleg Deripaska, over the objections of Congress.
He has denied Russian interference in our 2016 election and promoted Russia’s allegations that Ukraine meddled on behalf of his opponent, and is ignoring warnings that Russia is going to do the same thing in 2020.
He has diminished the effectiveness of our State Department and made a muddle of U.S. foreign policy, creating opportunities for Putin to expand and strengthen Russia’s sphere of influence. At the same time, he has diminished confidence in our commitment to our NATO allies.
@Greg: No, I refer to ANYONE you would approve of. ANYONE left over from Obama that leaks and undercuts the operations of the government.
You mean the actual government of Syria and the Russians OBAMA invited in to take control when he embarrassed himself with his stupid “red line” bluff? We have NO business in Syria and should never have been there in the first place.
Does it hurt to SPRINT into those brick walls?
@Deplorable Me: OMG the President of Syria has regained full control of his own country.
Assad to whom the Christian population fled who could openly celebrate Christmas without being murdered by Barrys and McCains so called “freedom” fighters.
Wikileaks had something about Syria that should have been a much bigger story. Gassing his own people pffft.
@Greg: Uh, Russia leaked that Hillary and the DNC were engaged in illegal and unethical corruption. There actions caused them to lose the 2016 election. Period.
You may not understand, but you’re saying that if only Hillary and the DNC’s actions were kept secret, they would have won. That’s stupid. Perhaps they could have just been fair and not engaged in mishandling/destroying Top Secret info and rigging the primary for Hillary?
It’s there own fault.
Now, Russia. Their point is to keep people fighting, to sow division. It’s less about “rigging” things. The pathetic interpretation that Russia helped to “win” the election for Trump is just easily dismissed partisan rhetoric.
You’re party didn’t do it’s job from 2008 to 2016, and let Russia gain power…as it paid lots of Democrats to let it, it seems.
Ukraine ALSO meddled in the elections, to the detriment of Trump and the aid of Hillary. That’s why you fools need to keep covering it up and calling the very plain, very damning facts as a “conspiracy theory”. Chulupa was paid, and worked with foreign nationals. It happened, and it’s not up for discussion.
@Deplorable Me, #11:
400,000 Syrians have died as a result of Bashar al-Assad’s most recent efforts to maintain his family’s bloodstained 49-year personal dictatorship. Of the one million Syrians who have recently fled from the slaughter only to be trapped between Assad’s advancing Russian-supported forces and Turkish forces, 80 percent are women and children.
Typically you blame Obama, when it was the effing moron currently occupying the White House whose abysmal cluelessness and inexplicable bromance with Vladimir Putin facilitated the current situation.
Note that Trump blamed Obama for not fully committing in connection with his red line comment regarding Assad’s use of chemical weapons against civilians—limited airstrikes apparently not being sufficient—and then ordered airstrikes himself, first giving Vlad a courtesy call, before tucking tail and running, abandoning our Kurdish partners to their fate and freeing God-only-knows how many ISIS supporters in the process. If you can find anything remotely resembling a consistent policy in there somewhere, kindly explain what it is. The man is a gold-plated, knee-jerk reactionary nincompoop.
@Nathan Blue, #11:
That’s precisely what Russia did. All components of our own nation’s intelligence community have reached that same conclusion. Apparently you prefer the alternate tale that has been determined to have originated with Russia: It wasn’t Russia, it was Ukraine, and they were interfering on behalf of Clinton.
The disinformation and propaganda of the Trump era are likely to leave the political right with irreversible brain damage. They’ll likely never sort out the b.s. from reality, or recognize the extent to which they’ve been cynically and transparently manipulated, using their preexisting control buttons.
@Greg: Gee Assad should have just let the rebels drag him through the streets and get murdered with no friggin plan to replace him then we could have slave markets in the streets there too.
Question is why are they afraid? Assad did not murder the Christians that turned to him as their only protection. Are these women looking for their cowardly men that fled to Europe and Turkey.
If he wanted to murder the women and kiddies he could carpet bomb the road choked with them, Turkey doesnt want them. No one really wants them.
@Greg: HOWEVER, the United Stated never had any interests in Syria. The UN should have intervened, but of course that might interfere with their bribery income. No, Obama wanted to assist his Muslim Brotherhood buddies and thought if he just gave Assad a stern look he would cave in. OBAMA opened the door for Russia; part of that “flexibility”, no doubt.
I put the blame squarely where it belongs and if Obama didn’t have Putin’s c*ck in his mouth so much, perhaps he could have reasoned things out more clearly. Obama was an utter failure and put this nation at great risk. Trump is trying to repair the massive damage.
The threat itself was stupid and ill-advised, but once made, it should have been followed up. Obama’s failure merely showed how weak and undependable the US was under his control.
Boltons comments wre interesting, he had no evidence that was strong enough to help the Democrats because of the process. So either his testimony was weak or the process was so unconstitutional there was a snowballs chance it wouldnt unite every republican against them.
@Greg: Dumb ass greggie. All presidents appoint people they can trust. Trump should have fired all of the Obama appointees right away. Trump’s biggest mistake was believing that all government employees were working for the good of the country. Boy was Trump wrong.
We’ve drifted away from the observation that John Bolton Admits Last-Minute Impeachment Leak Was A Publicity Stunt is a total load of horse manure, like most other claims presented in Federalist article titles. John Bolton made no such admission; he neither said nor implied any such thing.
The Federalist also deliberately misconstrued what Bolton was referring to when he said “I will bet you a dollar right here and now my testimony would have made no difference to the ultimate outcome.” He was referring to the fact that the Senate trial was rigged, and that nothing he could have said would have changed the preordained outcome. Trump’s lackey Mitch (I resisted the temptation of using a rhyming word) publicly stated that he was in complete compliance with the White House positions and what the verdict would be before the trial had even begun. The Affirmation Oath he took before God to conduct a fair trial and render an impartial judgement in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution meant absolutely nothing to him.
All of the above is true—and none of you can deal with it.
@Greg: olton did no such thing, Bolton argued that the House botched the process and condemned House Democrats for having committed “impeachment malpractice.” Not placing any blame on the Senate at all.
There was actually more to Bolton’s quote:
@Greg: Yup Schiff united the Republicans to end the BS partisan procedure.
They united to protect the separation of powers, cause one of them might win the office when Trumps maximum term is up.
Chanting 4 more years at the SOTU was rubbing the Dems nose in it, one day from them ending Schiffs power trip.
@Greg: You REALLY drifted away from the fact that you never had any evidence Trump ever did anything impeachable.
June 15, 2020 – Trump administration expected to attempt to block John Bolton’s book: Sources
I’m not sure “inherently classified” is actually a thing—certainly not with respect to “every conversation” Bolton has had with Trump since he became President.
@Greg: Well, Hillary certainly didn’t think so, did she? Even LABELED classified didn’t mean much. But, this ain’t the Obama administration and leaks are taken seriously.
It will be interesting to see if the White House can suppress the sale of a book that advance orders have already made a #1 Best Seller. It has already moved from the printer to the Amazon distribution centers and begins shipping in only 7 days. It will already be sitting in the back rooms of bookstores. Will William Barr order raids and confiscations? Maybe we can have public book burnings. They’d make for great stadium rally events.
@Greg: They won’t suppress it but if Bolton didn’t get clearance, he’ll pay the price.
@Deplorable Me, #28:
No he won’t, because there’s no way that Donald Trump or William Barr’s DoJ would take Bolton and his claims and put them before a judge in a courtroom. Other insider witnesses would be called to testify about them under oath. That could turn into an epic political disaster.
Trump and his allies will instead attempt to destroy Bolton’s credibility and reputation through the media, possibly using a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation or an FBI investigation as a stage prop. That way much media noise can be made in the lead-up to the election without ever having to actually back up any accusations or file actual charges in the end. We’ve seen this same tactic repeated numerous times before, with Biden, Clinton, Comey, etc…
@Greg: Destroy his credibility by showing he is lying?
@Deplorable Me, #30:
Bolton’s comments correspond with what other White House insiders have previously said.
Perhaps you buy the idea that everyone lies but Donald Trump. I do not. I’ve observed his lies myself. Anyone who is attentive has done the same.
The current fairy tale he’s spinning that COVID-19 is under control and fading is dangerous and totally irresponsible. It’s a lie that could kill people. His upcoming no-masks-required-but-you-must-sign-a-waiver Tulsa rally is positively nuts. This could bring 15 thousand or more people into a closely-packed environment that’s highly conducive to transmission for a couple of hours.
@Greg: No, actually there are those that say he wasn’t even in the conversations he claims to have been. But, I fully understand how with Biden the Bumbler, you HAVE to cling to those straws. It’s pathetic, sure… but I understand.
June 20, 2020 – Judge denies Trump administration request to block John Bolton’s book
Hopefully Bolton’s book will also reveal many things that his readers didn’t already know. Pre-publication orders have placed The Room Where It Happened high on Amazon’s bestseller list.
@Greg: You really dont understand we dont care, we dont care what Bolton has to say. More than 1/2 of the fun of this administration is watching the total mental melt down of the marxist side of the democrats.
Question for you did Obama ever lie when running for or in office?
I know Trump’s supporters don’t care. His problem in November will be all of the attentive people who do.
@Greg: Why should we care? None of you Democrats care that Obama turned the FBI into GESTAPO, they have weaponized the DOJ, discarded due process, turned the media into the Democrat’s propaganda machine, fully embrace political violence and trampled the Constitution. What other choice is there but Trump for an actual American?
@Deplorable Me: Greg is right we must be attentive, very attentive, Campaign staff for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden are advertising their donations to a group that pays bail fees in Minneapolis … Tim Walz on Saturday said many of those arrested have been from out of state.
Why would Bidens campaign people bail out Antifa members and others that burned out black owned businesses?
Democrat racists, again?
@kitt: Democrats racist… continually.
The democrat party has always been the party of racism and minority oppression. Interesting that there has not been the need to remove any non democrat statues or portraits from the US Capital.
What are the odds of an internal GOP political coup, attempting to replace Trump as their 2020 candidate with Mike Pence? Bolton’s timing and comments are suggestive. That possibility could also put his failure to come forward as a witness earlier this year in a different light. Might Bolton have wondered who would then fill the VP spot on the ticket?
June 21, 2020 – John Bolton: Pence was a ‘consistent ally’ and equally ‘stunned’ by some Trump actions
@Greg: Slim to none. Grasp every straw, though. But, in the end, idiot Biden has to face Trump on the debate stage. Remember what a disaster he was against Palin?
This ought to be good.
@Deplorable Me, #41:
Trump’s tired old line of the same fantasy land bullshit vs. a popular democrat talking about reality? We’ll see how that works out. Assuming Trump will even take to a debate stage. He wouldn’t be facing a rally audience.
Maybe the televised event should include a two-man walk-race down a gently inclined ramp…
@Greg: A debate between Trump and Biden would be an irrefutable expose’ of just how much a waste of space Biden actually is. No amount of preparation can get that clown ready to face someone a sharp, intelligent and aggressive as Trump. It’ll be great, but I’m sure we’ll all feel sorry for Biden when it’s over.