House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., says John Bolton told him in September that his committee should look into the circumstances around the recall of Marie Yovanovitch, U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
Engel made his claim Wednesday in a statement refuting President Donald Trump's attack on his former national security adviser's credibility.
Engel said he and Bolton have known each other for years and have enjoyed a “cordial and respectful relationship.”
“President Trump is wrong that John Bolton didn’t say anything about the Trump-Ukraine scandal at the time the president fired him," Engel said. "He said something to me.”
“He and I spoke by telephone on September 23. On that call, Ambassador Bolton suggested to me—unprompted—that the committee look into the recall of Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. He strongly implied that something improper had occurred around her removal as our to diplomat in Kyiv.
“At the time, I said nothing publicly about what was a private conversation, but because this detail was relevant to the Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight Committees’ investigation into this matter, I informed my investigative colleagues. It was one of the reasons we wished to hear from Ambassador Bolton, under oath, in a formal setting.
“Ambassador Bolton has made clear over the last few months that he has more to say on this issue. And now that the president has called his credibility into question, it’s important to set the record straight.
“It’s telling that, of all people, John Bolton is now the target of right-wing ire. It underscores just how important it is that the Senate subpoena Ambassador Bolton as a witness [in the impeachment trial]."
Engel’s comments came after President Donald Trump had questioned why Bolton had not spoken out Ukraine “a long time ago.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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