Former national security adviser John Bolton reportedly told Attorney General William Barr that he feared President Trump was granting personal favors to the leaders of China and Turkey.
Bolton recounted the episode in a draft version of his upcoming memoir, according to people familiar with the manuscript who spoke to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity.
Bolton reportedly wrote that Barr responded that he was worried Trump may have created the appearance of having improper influence over investigations involving companies based in those two countries during personal conversations with the leaders of China and Turkey.
It was not immediately clear what “personal favors” Bolton reportedly referred to in his book. In recent months, the Trump administration has faced criticism for allowing a Turkish military invasion of areas of northern Syria held by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, and the Times noted that Bolton wrote that Barr specifically singled out Trump’s conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping about the Chinese telecommunications firm ZTE as a cause for worry.
Bolton, in a joint statement with publisher Simon & Schuster, said Monday that they were not involved in leaking transcripts of Bolton’s book to the Times, though Bolton has not yet denied any revelations reported by the Times.
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Bolton told Barr he was concerned Trump granted favors to autocrats: report https://t.co/yDU67MFiZp pic.twitter.com/kLSuXuzlH0
— The Hill (@thehill) January 28, 2020
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