Bolton confirmed that Trump withheld aid to Ukraine due to Bidens case - NYT

27.01.2020 10:15

Ukrinform

U.S. President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, has confirmed that the White House chief personally linked the suspension of security assistance to Ukraine to the investigation into the Bidens, The New York Times has reported, on the basis of an unpublished manuscript by the former adviser.

"President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens," the newspaper wrote, citing sources that revealed the contents of Bolton's draft book.

According to the report, Bolton showed his manuscript to close associates, and, in accordance with the current procedure, sent the draft to the White House for a standard review process.

"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," the newspaper said.

According to the article, the book presents an outline of what Bolton might testify to if he is called as a witness in the Senate impeachment trial. This could undercut a key element of Trump's impeachment defense.

The White House could use the pre-publication review process, which has no set time frame, to delay or even kill the book's publication or omit key passages

Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Bolton and Secretary of Defense Mark Esper unsuccessfully persuaded President Trump not to delay military assistance to Ukraine. In their opinion, this was contrary to American interests.