June 18, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s claim that President Trump asked Chinese President Xi Zinping to help out with the election during trade talks in Osaka:
“The release of excerpts from a book by fired National Security Advisor John Bolton reveals much more about Bolton than President Donald Trump. As is always the case when money is to be made, Bolton makes claims about the President designed to titillate the ‘Orange Man Bad’ crowd. One of the most scurrilous of the claims relates to an alleged conversation that the President had with Chinese President Xi asking for help with the election, which both U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and former White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney say never occurred.
“Lighthizer who was in the room for the meeting Bolton sites told the Senate Finance Committee that the allegation is, ‘Absolutely untrue, never happened. I was there, I have no recollection of that ever happening. I don’t believe it’s true, I don’t believe it ever happened,’ Lighthizer testified during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, concluding that Bolton’s allegation was ‘completely crazy.’
“America is at a crossroads. China is engaged in a wholesale assault on our nation from attacking the dollar as the world reserve currency to infiltrating our nation’s university and laboratory system to stealing our intellectual property and coercing U.S. multinational corporations to become their political and legislative advocates, and it is an indictment on John Bolton’s character that in an environment where Marxists are burning our cities that he is seeking to destroy the only person standing in China’s way. The fact that Bolton’s massive ego was hurt when the President fired him and the former National Security Advisor has been offered a small fortune for a book is no reason for him to effectively provide aid and comfort to the enemy out of spite.
“It is a shame that someone with a distinguished career like John Bolton would be so wrapped up in his own ego and shame over being fired that he would gaslight the President with clear lies. Sadly, the Bolton book writes the epitaph on his political tomb as, ‘turned his back on his country when America needed him most.’”
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.
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