House Foreign Affairs Chairman Says Bolton Suggested He Look Into the Outster of Ukraine Ambassador

After it was reported that former National Security Advisor John Bolton wrote in his forthcoming book that President Donald Trump linked military aid to Ukraine to an investigation of Democrats, the president claimed Bolton never voiced a concern.

But on Wednesday, House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) said in a statement that Bolton suggested the House open an investigation into the firing of Marie Yovanovitch — the former ambassador to Ukraine.

“President Trump is wrong that 👤John Bolton didn’t say anything about the Trump-Ukraine Scandal at the time the President fire him. He said something to me.”

Engel says his staff contacted Bolton to ask him to “talk to” the House Foreign Affairs Committee “to aid our general oversight efforts of U.S. foreign policy.” During the phone call, Engel said Bolton “strongly implied” that “something improper” had happened.

“He and I spoke by telephone on September 23. On that call, Ambassador Bolton suggested to me — unprompted — that the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our top diplomat in Kyiv.”