Bolton criticizes Trump policy on North Korea as sources say he opposed call to Ukraine

WASHINGTON — Former national security adviser John Bolton made clear on Monday in his first public remarks since his contentious departure from the White House that he opposed President Donald Trump’s approach to North Korea and Iran as multiple current and former administration officials say he also was at odds with his former boss over a July phone call with the president of Ukraine.

Now there are growing fears among people close to Trump that Bolton and his allies are poised to inflict the most damage on the president given his unceremonious exit from the White House and how much he knows from his 17 months there.

“They know where a lot of the bodies are buried,” one person close to the White House said.

But he showed a willingness to criticize the president that other top national security officials who’ve left the administration have largely avoided. And when the moderator of the event suggested Bolton was restricted on talking about his time in the Trump administration, Bolton interjected to make clear that any such restriction is “self-imposed.”

He began his remarks by noting his new freedom to speak in “unvarnished terms.” For the next 45 minutes he argued — without ever mentioning Trump by name — that the president’s approach to North Korea and Iran are largely wrongheaded.

Navy Vet

Article URL : https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/john-bolton-says-north-korea-will-never-give-nuclear-weapons-n1060286