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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his former national security adviser, John Bolton, could face criminal liability if he doesn’t halt the publication of his new book that is expected to provide an insider account of the Trump administration.
“I will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified. So that would mean that if he wrote a book and if the book gets out he’s broken the law,” Trump said. “That’s called criminal liability. That’s a big thing,” he said.
Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security adviser for about 18 months, is a controversial figure in Washington. He is a Republican policymaker known for his hawkish stance on foreign affairs. Bolton was fired by Trump in September 2019 over simmering differences on a range of foreign policy issues, most notably North Korea and Afghanistan.
‘Addicted to chaos’
In the book, titled “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” Bolton writes that almost every decision by Trump was motivated by domestic politics, and that he committed impeachable offenses even beyond the charges related to Ukraine.
“I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn’t driven by reelection calculations,” Bolton writes in the book, according to a statement by the publishers, Simon and Schuster.
The book describes Trump as “a President addicted to chaos, who embraced our enemies and spurned our friends, and was deeply suspicious of his own government,” the statement said.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Dan Coats
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats resigned from his post, which oversees and coordinates all 17 US intelligence agencies, in July 2019. Coats clashed with Trump on Russia, taking a harder line on Vladimir Putin than the president. He also contradicted Trump’s assertion that North Korea no longer posed a threat.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Alexander Acosta
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced his resignation in July 2019, after criticism of a legal deal made years ago that led to financier Jeffrey Epstein only serving 13 months in jail for child sex abuse.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Rod Rosenstein
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein submitted his resignation at the end of April 2019, after a two-year run defined by his appointment of a special counsel, Robert Mueller, to investigate connections between Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia. The move made Rosenstein a frequent target for Republican wrath and angry Trump tweets. Indeed, he often appeared to be on the edge of being fired.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Randolph Alles
Randolph Alles, a former Marine who reached the rank of major general, resigned as the head of the US Secret Service in early April 2019. Although initial news reports suggested he had been “fired,” he later said he had been notified of changes to senior security positions and that he resigned voluntarily. He had previously served as acting deputy commission of US Customs and Border Protection.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Kirstjen Nielsen
Kirstjen Nielsen announced her resignation as secretary of homeland security in early April 2019. She had previously served in other administration positions, including deputy White House chief of staff. Nielsen, a hard-line border security advocate, is best known for her controversial policy of separating children from their migrant parents at the US border.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Bill Shine
Bill Shine announced his resignation as White House communications director in early March 2019. The former Fox News executive may be leaving his post, but he’s not completely out of a job. The White House has said he will be working on Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Brock Long
Brock Long announced his resignation as the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mid-February 2109. Long is best known for managing the agency’s response to historic wildfires in California and major landfalls of powerful hurricanes. However, his resignation came shortly after he was told to reimburse the government over the misuse of government vehicles.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Brett McGurk
Appointed by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in 2015, McGurk was the US envoy to the coalition fighting “Islamic State” terrorists and was influential in shaping US policy in northern Syria. He was due to end his tenure in February 2019 but stepped down days after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, largely due to Trump’s sudden decision to take US soldiers out of Syria.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Jim Mattis
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly announced his retirement in late December 2018 after Trump ignored his advice and announced the complete withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Mattis’ resignation letter laid bare the growing divide between them, criticizing his boss for his treatment of allies. Mattis was a keen supporter of NATO and traditional US alliances, putting him at odds with Trump.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Ryan Zinke
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned in December 2018 as pressure mounted from more than a dozen investigations into various aspects of his tenure and private business. The former Navy SEAL was a leading advocate of expanding domestic energy production, opening up vast swathes of the country for exploration.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
John F. Kelly
In December 2018, Trump announced that John Kelly, his third chief of staff, would step down at the end of the year. He had been brought in to establish order in the Trump White House but found the job arduous, and his relationship with his boss soured. The retired four-star Marine Corps general was replaced by budget director Mick Mulvaney, after several candidates turned down the job.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Jeff Sessions
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was fired in November 2018 after several months of abuse from Trump. Despite being an early supporter, he attracted the wrath of his boss early on by recusing himself from the Justice Department investigation into collusion. He was replaced with a loyalist who shares Trump’s concerns about the investigation.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Nikki Haley
United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, one of the administration’s few high-profile women, announced her resignation in October 2018. She said her resignation was long-planned, but the announcement took most senior politicians by surprise. She lent international legitimacy to the administration as she attempted to provide a coherent message.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Marc Short
The White House director of legislative affairs announced he would leave his post effective July 20, 2018. Short, one of the administration’s longest-serving members, was also one of its most visible, pushing Trump’s legislative agenda on TV. But his work was frequently undercut by the president, who complained about deals the team had negotiated, preferring instead to go it alone without them.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Scott Pruitt
It remained a mystery to many how Pruitt could hang on for so long, but the president seemed to like him. Many on the left cringed at his every move as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He was also embroiled in various ethics scandals. Nevertheless, Trump took to Twitter to thank Pruitt for doing an “outstanding job” at the EPA.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Ty Cobb
One of Trump’s top lawyers in the ongoing special counsel investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election, Cobb said he simply wanted to retire. But many believe he was forced out by Trump and others in his legal team for his lack of aggression in Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Cobb was said to have been increasingly uneasy about Trump’s Twitter attacks on Mueller.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Tom Bossert
White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert, who had worked for George W. Bush, was reportedly pushed out in the shake-up that occurred after John Bolton replaced H.R. McMaster as national security adviser. It is said that Bolton had no issues with Bossert, but that he wanted his own team in place. The White House thanked Bossert for his “patriotic service” and wished him well.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
David Shulkin
Though the White House said Shulkin resigned, he says he was fired. A holdover from the Obama administration, he was appointed to run the Department of Veteran’s Affairs by Trump. His downfall came amid a travel expense scandal involving his wife. He criticized the atmosphere in the administration as “toxic, chaotic, disrespectful and subversive,” claiming he was the victim of political intrigue.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
H.R. McMaster
In a tweet on March 22, 2018, US President Trump announced he was replacing H.R. McMaster with John Bolton as his national security adviser. A respected general, McMaster said he would retire from the US army and public service. McMaster’s departure was not a complete surprise, as he and Trump are reported to have had conflicting views on a number of US policies.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Rex Tillerson
A former Exxon executive, Tillerson had served as secretary of state for a little over a year. Donald Trump ousted Tillerson in order to form a “new team” ahead of talks with North Korea, adding that he and Tillerson “disagreed on things.” The relationship between them is said to have deteriorated after Tillerson reportedly called Trump a “moron” in October 2017.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Gary Cohn
A Goldman Sachs veteran, Gary Cohn served as Donald Trump’s top economic adviser at the head of the National Economic Council. He helped push through controversial tax reforms in 2017. However, Cohn stepped down in March 2018 after failing to persuade Trump to give up his idea of imposing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Hope Hicks
Hope Hicks resigned from her post as the White House communications director in late February 2018. A day before resigning, she testified before US lawmakers on Russian interference. She admitted to telling “white lies” for Donald Trump, but not related to Russia. The White House insisted her resignation was not linked to the testimony. The 29-year-old was among Trump’s closest aides.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Rob Porter
The White House staff secretary handed in his resignation after his ex-wives accused him of domestic abuse. Despite resigning, Rob Porter denied the allegations as “simply false.” Trump initially defended Porter, and the US media questioned how Porter passed his background check for the job. Recently, reports surfaced of a romance between Porter and Trump’s longtime aide Hope Hicks.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Stephen Bannon
He played a key role in getting Donald Trump into the White House, but even chief strategist Stephen Bannon was ousted within a year. Bannon was a champion of economic nationalism and Trump’s “America First” strategy. After the fallout of white supremacist violence in Charlottesville mid-August, Bannon agreed to leave the administration.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Anthony Scaramucci
The 53-year-old former hedge fund investor nicknamed the “Mooch” was communications director for just 10 days. The colorful New Yorker filled a dream role that had been vacant for months, but was forced out on the same day that straight-shooting former Marine Corps general John Kelly became chief of staff. Trump was displeased with his infamous expletive-laden rant against other senior staff.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Walter M. Shaub Jr.
Walter Shaub, the former director of the Office of Government Ethics, resigned in July 2017 after clashing with the White House over Trump’s complicated financial holdings. Shaub reportedly called Trump’s administration a “laughingstock.”
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Reince Priebus
Reince Priebus, former White House chief of staff, was forced out just six months into his tenure after a public feud with Anthony Scaramucci, the White House communications director. Priebus was reportedly among those West Wing staffers who had opposed hiring Scaramucci.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Sean Spicer
Sean Spicer, who had a fraught relationship with the president and the press, resigned after telling Trump he vehemently disagreed with the selection of Anthony Scaramucci as White House communications director.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Michael Dubke
Michael Dubke, former White House communications director, was asked to leave in May 2017 over what was perceived as his poor handling of allegations of Russian involvement in the US election.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
James Comey
US President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey — allegedly over how he handled the Clinton emails investigation. Critics, however, believe the FBI’s probe into Trump’s campaign ties with Russia was the real reason.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
Michael Flynn
Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned in February 2017 after revelations that he had discussed US sanctions on Russia with the Russian ambassador to the US before Trump took office, and then misled Vice President Mike Pence about the conversations.
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‘You’re fired’ — Trump administration casualties
John Bolton
US President Donald Trump fired his National Security Adviser John Bolton saying he disagreed “strongly” with his suggestions. Trump had tweeted that Bolton’s “services are no longer needed at the White House.”
Pre-publication review
Trump has accused Bolton of not completing the clearance process required for a book by former government officials who had access to sensitive information. While Trump admitted he had not read the book, he said the problem of revealing conversations with the president “becomes even worse if he lies about the conversation, which I understand he might have in some cases.”
“We’ll see what happens. They’re in court or they’ll soon be in court,” Trump said.
US Attorney General William Barr also raised concerns over the pre-publication review process, and added that the Trump administration was “trying to get them to go through the process and make the necessary deletions of classified information.”
Bolton’s lawyer Chuck Cooper has contradicted these statements, saying that his client had painstakingly worked with classifications specialists at the White House National Security Council to ensure classified material is not published.
“This is a transparent attempt to use national security as a pretext to censor Mr. Bolton, in violation of his constitutional right to speak on matters of the utmost public importance,”according to Cooper. “This attempt will not succeed, and Mr. Bolton’s book will be published June 23.”
adi/sri (AP, Reuters)
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/trump-ex-adviser-john-bolton-risks-facing-charges-if-he-publishes-book/a-53822936?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf