President Donald Trumpâs personal attorney Rudy Giuliani had some harsh words for former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
In an interview with CBSâs Catherine Herridge, Giuliani dismissed reporting that Trump told Bolton that military aid to Ukraine was contingent on officials in that country opening an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
âHe never said to me, âIâve got a problem with what you are doing in Ukraine.â Never once. Never winked. Never sent me a little note. He is a personal friend, I thought. So hereâs the only conclusion I can come to, and itâs a harsh one. And I feel very bad about it. Heâs a backstabber.â
Watch the interview below:
Herridge pressed Giuliani on his conclusion, âThatâs a seriousâŚâ
âItâs not serious, itâs true,â Giuliani interjected. âIf your friend was complaining about you behind your back, and didnât have the guts to come up to your face and tell you, âI think youâre screwinâ up Catherine,â thatâd be a backstabber. Thatâs classic backstabber.â
Bolton reportedly had an issue with Giulianiâs campaign to dig up dirt on Democrats. During the Houseâs Impeachment proceedings, Fiona Hill â a former member of the National Security Council (NSC)â testified that Bolton called Giuliani a âhuman hand grenade whoâs going to blow everybody up,â and told her to alert the NSCâs top lawyer to Giulianiâs dealings.
Giulianiâs comments come after The New York Times reported that a draft manuscript of Boltonâs forthcoming book says Trump linked the aid to Ukraine to the investigation of the Bidens, as IJR previously reported.Â
After the Times published its report on Sunday, Trump denied Boltonâs claim, âI NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens.â
Trump claimed that Bolton never âcomplainedâ about the military aid to Ukraine and suggested that Bolton made the allegations to fuel book sales.
On Wednesday, Trump shredded Boltonâs character on Twitter and suggested that if he listened to Boltonâs advice âwe would be in World War Six.â
The Timesâ report has fueled calls for Bolton to testify in the Senateâs Impeachment trial, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) recently said he does not have the votes to block witnesses.
The vote on whether or not to call new witnesses is expected on Friday, according to people familiar. If senators vote to subpoena Bolton it would extend the trial at a time even some Democratic presidential contenders are reportedly signaling they would like to end the trial, as IJR reported.
