Well, we have been waiting for the Bolton details to come out and very conveniently, his book transcript was leaked to the media on the same day pre-sale links were available online.
As the New York Times report blew up the internet, President Trump immediately took to Twitter for damage control.
The Claims
While all of the details or Bolton’s book were not leaked, we do know his alleged conversation with Trump about Ukraine and the Bidens was at the heart of the leaked material.
The New York Times report stated that Bolton had sent the transcript, per protocol, to the White House for approval as well as having sent the transcript to several close associates for their input.
After the report came out, Bolton’s camp stated the transcript had ONLY been sent to the White House for approval, so the leak had to come from the White House, not his people.
In that transcript, Bolton alleged that Trump told him he would have “preferred” to hold off on giving Ukraine any aid until they turned over everything they had on the Bidens.
The use of that specific word is HUGE and it will only go to help Trump’s case, not hurt it.
Had Bolton stated that Trump demanded or insisted, it would be completely different than if he “preferred” to hold off.
We all know Trump wanted information on the Bidens, but the fact of the matter is that he never threatened Ukraine’s president and he did release the aid without ever getting anything in return.
Trump has always stated that the main reason the aid was being withheld, and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has backed this up with information from other agencies, was because he wanted to be assured the new regime was not corrupt.
So, if Trump wanted to be sure the regime was not corrupt and preferred to hold off until he also got the information on the Bidens, that is far different than withholding the aid until Ukraine bowed to his pressure.
I know, I know, people are going to say I am arguing semantically here, but that is not the case.
In this day and age, and especially in a situation such as this, the wording used is everything and preferred and insisting and/or demanding are completely different worlds here.
Trump Responds
As stated above, Trump took no time at all to slam Bolton for the leaked information…
I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
…(Democrats said I never met) and released the military aid to Ukraine without any conditions or investigations – and far ahead of schedule. I also allowed Ukraine to purchase Javelin anti-tank missiles. My Administration has done far more than the previous Administration.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 27, 2020
Several media members were quick to point out this very much looked like a coordinated stunt by the Bolton PR team to ensure his book became an instant bestseller…
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
John Bolton is running the exact same revenge playbook against Trump that James Comey used. He’s even using the same agent and leaking to the same reporters. All because he’s mad Trump fired him for leaking and trying to start new wars. It’s so boring and predictable.
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) January 27, 2020
Just like James Comey, John Bolton is trying to get rich off of a lie- and leak-fueled campaign to overturn the 2016 election results. I suspect it will work out as well as all of Bolton’s other wars. https://t.co/z0fe2aMMFn
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) January 27, 2020
Had Bolton held off on the book going public, he may have been able to sell his side of the story a little better, but I have to side with the idea of this being a major publicity stunt on behalf of Bolton’s book.
We know Democrats are going to latch onto this to demand Bolton being called a witness and they may even get their way.
However, I would beg you to listen to the actual words used and NOT the Democrat spin.
Schiff will have a field day making a lot of assumptions here, but the facts still support Trump and point to an imminent acquittal.
Source: Gateway Pundit
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