Jun 18, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Pompeo calls Bolton "a traitor" over upcoming tell-all book

Orion Rummler

Pompeo and Bolton in a room — John Bolton (L), acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney (C), and Mike Pompeo listen to President Trump in the White House in July 2019. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused former national security adviser John Bolton late on Thursday of "spreading a number of lies, fully-spun half-truths, and outright falsehoods" in his upcoming tell-all book.

Why it matters: The book "recounts Pompeo breaking with the president across a broad spectrum of his foreign policy issues, from his near-war footing with Iran, transactional dealings with China, diplomatic flirtations with North Korea and freewheeling discussions with allies," according to the Washington Post, which obtained an advanced copy.

Bolton claims that Pompeo slipped him a note during Trump’s 2018 meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un that commented on Trump, saying: “he is so full of shit,” in an advanced copy of the book obtained by the Times. Pompeo reportedly dismissed Trump's North Korea diplomacy as having "zero probability of success.”

What he's saying:

"I've not read the book, but from the excerpts I've seen published, John Bolton is spreading a number of lies, fully-spun half-truths, and outright falsehoods. It is both sad and dangerous that John Bolton's final public role is that of a traitor who damaged America by violating his sacred trust with its people. To our friends around the world: you know that President Trump's America is a force for good in the world."

— Pompeo wrote in a statement on Thursday

Go deeper: Highlights from the excerpts of John Bolton's book

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Pompeo calls Bolton "a traitor" over upcoming tell-all book

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