John Bolton, former national security adviser, privately complained to Attorney General Bill Barr last year that President Donald Trump was in essence doing personal favors for autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to The New York Times, whose report Monday referenced an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton.
Barr is said to have pointed to a pair of Justice Department investigations of companies in those countries, saying he was worried that Trump had created the appearance that he had undue influence over what would typically be independent inquiries, according to the manuscript. Barr mentioned conversations Mr. Trump had with the powerful autocrats in question, Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Xi Jinping of China.
Acccording to The Times, the account underscores that unease about Trump's connection with authoritarian leaders wasn't limited to his opponents. Indeed, the Bolton book suggests some of the senior cabinet officers shared that concern.
Bolton recounted the episode in a draft of an unpublished book manuscript that he submitted nearly a month ago to the White House for review. People familiar with the manuscript have described its contents to The Times on the condition of anonymity.
The book has been generating controversy over an account of Trump allegedly telling Bolton in August that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations of political rivals. That matter, as reported by The Times this weekend, is central to the articles of impeachment currently being argued in a trial before the Senate.
A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment on Barr’s supposed conversations with Bolton, as did a spokesman for the National Security Council, The Times said. In a statement on Monday, Mr. Bolton, his publisher and his literary agency said they had not coordinated a leak of his manuscript with The Times.
Trump has denied telling Bolton the aid was tied to Ukraine probes.
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