John Bolton Hints He's Ready To Spill His 'Backstory' On White House Departure
President Donald Trump’s former National Security Adviser John Bolton says he’s ready to share the “backstory” of his departure from the White House.
Bolton took to Twitter on Friday to tease his forthcoming story, claiming the White House had previously “suppressed” his Twitter account to prevent him from speaking out about the details surrounding his resignation in September.
“Glad to be back on Twitter after more than two months,” Bolton tweeted. “For the backstory, stay tuned........”
We have now liberated the Twitter account, previously suppressed unfairly in the aftermath of my resignation as National Security Advisor. More to come.....
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) November 22, 2019
Re: speaking up -- since resigning as National Security Advisor, the @WhiteHouse refused to return access to my personal Twitter account. Out of fear of what I may say? To those who speculated I went into hiding, I’m sorry to disappoint!
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) November 22, 2019
It wasn’t immediately clear how or why the White House would have prevented Bolton from posting on the social media platform until Friday. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump fired Bolton in September, though the former national security adviser denied that report and claimed he had turned in his resignation voluntarily.
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump announced in a pair of tweets on Sept. 10. “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore ... I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning.”
Bolton was known for being a hawk on Iran, North Korea and Syria. His aggressive foreign policy approach and eagerness for war frequently clashed with Trump’s own approach for less military intervention.
Lawmakers have called on Bolton to testify as part of the House’s impeachment inquiry into Trump. Bolton’s lawyer, Charles Cooper, has said Bolton would be willing to do so if a court rules he must, given that the White House has chosen not to cooperate with the inquiry.
In a letter to the chief House lawyer earlier this month, Cooper said Bolton knows about “many relevant meetings and conversations” surrounding Trump’s communications with Ukraine.
According to Cooper’s letter, which he provided to HuffPost, Bolton “was personally involved in many of the events, meetings, and conversations about which [lawmakers] have already received testimony, as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far.”
Bolton was reportedly concerned about Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani’s efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, one of the Democratic frontrunners for 2020, and his son Hunter. At one point, Bolton even ordered an aide to warn White House attorneys about Giuliani’s behavior.
Bolton, however, failed to show up on Nov. 7 for his scheduled deposition by lawmakers in the impeachment inquiry. He is one of several current and former Trump administration officials who have not appeared for their closed-door depositions.
Cooper said Bolton “stands ready” to testify if courts resolve the “conflicting demands of the Legislative and Executive Branches.”
Related Coverage
Trump Fires John Bolton, Says He Is 'No Longer Needed' At White House
John Bolton Knows Of ‘Many Relevant’ Conversations About Ukraine, Lawyer Says
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
