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Bolton names Jared Kushner as an individual who had "sustained power" in the White House.
"I think a question I would put to conservative Republicans is, how do you feel about that?"
"I think a question I would put to conservative Republicans is, how do you feel about that?"
Bolton: "I think [Trump] was so focused on the re-election that longer term considerations fell by the wayside. There was considerable attention on photo-ops."
"When it came to his attention span," reelection got "infinite" attention.
![Bolton: "I think [Trump] was so focused on the re-election that longer term considerations fell by the wayside. There was considerable attention on photo-ops.""When it came to his attention span," reelection got "infinite" attention.](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbFBP7sXsAAT6zK.jpg "Bolton: \"I think [Trump] was so focused on the re-election that longer term considerations fell by the wayside. There was considerable attention on photo-ops.\"\"When it came to his attention span,\" reelection got \"infinite\" attention.")
"When it came to his attention span," reelection got "infinite" attention.
Bolton on Trump: "I don't think he is fit for office, I don't think he has the competence for the job"
Continuing to monitor the Bolton interview (currently in commercial break); here's @ABC's current write-up. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/bolton-hopes-trump-term-president-warns-country-imperiled/story
Oh, Bolton is on Good Morning America tomorrow...
UPDATE: @ABC just posted the full transcript of the Bolton interview. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-john-bolton-interview-abc-news-martha-raddatz/story?id=71287825
Bolton on Trump's photo-op with North Korea's Kim Jong Un: "I thought it was a strategic mistake. The U.S. itself got nothing from that... [it] didn't accomplish anything toward any meaningful discussion on the elimination of their nuclear weapons program."
![Bolton on Trump's photo-op with North Korea's Kim Jong Un: "I thought it was a strategic mistake. The U.S. itself got nothing from that... [it] didn't accomplish anything toward any meaningful discussion on the elimination of their nuclear weapons program."](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbFCuTgWoAIcvTa.jpg "Bolton on Trump's photo-op with North Korea's Kim Jong Un: \"I thought it was a strategic mistake. The U.S. itself got nothing from that... [it] didn't accomplish anything toward any meaningful discussion on the elimination of their nuclear weapons program.\"")
Bolton on Trump getting letters from NK: "I think Kim Jong Un gets a huge laugh out of this. I mean, these letters... are written by some functionary in the N. Korean Workers Party [Propaganda] Office. And yet the president has looked at them as evidence of this deep friendship"
![Bolton on Trump getting letters from NK: "I think Kim Jong Un gets a huge laugh out of this. I mean, these letters... are written by some functionary in the N. Korean Workers Party [Propaganda] Office. And yet the president has looked at them as evidence of this deep friendship"](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EbFDQoGWsAMN21s.jpg "Bolton on Trump getting letters from NK: \"I think Kim Jong Un gets a huge laugh out of this. I mean, these letters... are written by some functionary in the N. Korean Workers Party [Propaganda] Office. And yet the president has looked at them as evidence of this deep friendship\"")
ABC: As we sit here today, would you say the threat from North Korea is greater today than when President Trump took office?
BOLTON: The threat from North Korea today is absolutely greater.
BOLTON: The threat from North Korea today is absolutely greater.
Bolton on Putin: "I think he looks at somebody like Donald Trump and says to himself as an old KGB officer: How am I going to get him to the place I want him to be? ... And I can just see the smirk when he knows he's got him following his line. It's almost transparent."
Bolton: "The president may well be a superb dealmaker when it comes to Manhattan real estate. Dealing with... international security issues are things far removed from his life experience."
Bolton says he was frozen in his seat during the 2018 Trump + Putin presser in Helsinki: "It was a stunning moment."
Bolton on why he chose to write a book instead of speaking out when he was National Security Advisor: "I don't think anybody is required to engage in futile activity to satisfy the Democratic congressional leadership."
Bolton on Ukraine: Trump "wanted a probe of Joe Biden in exchange for delivering the security assistance that was part of legislation that had been passed several years before... I found very disturbing."
Bolton notes "the linkage between the military assistance and that opportunity to go after Joe Biden didn't emerge immediately," but that "I could see that the issue was there."
Bolton now referencing Trump's conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the ask to help purchase agricultural products (but still discussing Ukraine)
Wow, Bolton on why he didn't testify during the House impeachment inquiry even though he claims he was ready for a subpoena: "It would not have made any difference. Because minds were made up on Capitol Hill."
Bolton when pressed again why he chose to write a book instead of speaking out: "You know, it has nothing to do with making a profit. It has everything to do with making sure that constitutional responsibilities... are carried out the right way."
AOC ad!
Bolton says it was an honor to serve as NSA and that you don't just walk away from the position.
Interestingly, he says the final straw for him was "the negotiations with the Taliban and the decision to bring Taliban to Camp David."
Interestingly, he says the final straw for him was "the negotiations with the Taliban and the decision to bring Taliban to Camp David."
Bolton on Trump claiming he was fired: "This is a lesson to anybody else contemplating resigning: don't tell the president first. Don't show him the courtesy, because he's not going to show you the courtesy."
"I resigned."
"I resigned."
Bolton: "Under Donald Trump, no regular rules here apply. But I am confident that there's no national security information... no classified information in the book."
Bolton says he will not vote for Trump OR Biden in November: "I'm going to figure out a conservative Republican to write in."
Concludes the interview by saying he doubts he will ever speak to Trump again.
Concludes the interview by saying he doubts he will ever speak to Trump again.
And that wraps up the Bolton interview, thanks for following along!
You can read the full transcript here (I only tweeted out quotes that were broadcast by @ABC): https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-john-bolton-interview-abc-news-martha-raddatz/story?id=71287825
You can read the full transcript here (I only tweeted out quotes that were broadcast by @ABC): https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transcript-john-bolton-interview-abc-news-martha-raddatz/story?id=71287825
I’ll note that there was surprisingly little discussion on China in the on-air ABC interview (haven’t checked the transcript yet).
Bolton only references one of the most explosive claims, aka the convo with Xi, in his discussion around Ukraine.
Much more on Russia, N. Korea.
Bolton only references one of the most explosive claims, aka the convo with Xi, in his discussion around Ukraine.
Much more on Russia, N. Korea.
