Trump White House leakers put American citizens in jeopardy: John Bolton
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will assume the role of National Security Adviser after H.R. McMaster resigned from his position.
In an interview on FOX Business’ “Kennedy,” Bolton said he was being considered for the position of National Security Adviser during the time Trump was thinking of appointing H.R. McMaster.
“I remember seeing H.R. down at Mar-a-Lago as I think he was coming in for his interview as I was leaving so we go back a long way on that,” he said.
As the White House National Security Adviser, Bolton will be responsible to advise the president on all matters that are in the best interest of the United States.
On Tuesday, Trump placed a call to the Russian president after the National Security Council prepared a memo for the president’s post-election phone call warning him not to congratulate Putin.
Bolton said one of the main reasons the president won the election was for his ability to make his own decision, despite the advisement of his White House staff.
“It’s not the function of political officials, whether it's the president or his nominees across the executive branch to do what their subordinates tell them to do,” he said. “The president is entitled to do what he wants to do, that’s what the Constitution says.”
Fox News has learned that chief of staff John Kelly is “frustrated and deeply disappointed” that someone leaked the contents of the Putin briefing memo.
"What I think was outrageous was the leak of the notes," Bolton said. "I think it discourages foreign leaders from being open and candid with the President because they are afraid their conversation will appear in the press."
The incoming White House National Security Adviser said he will oversee efforts to prevent leaks which he says interfere with the president’s ability to come to a conclusion after all options have been considered in private.
“The leaker is taking on himself or herself a kind of moral authority that they just don’t have,” Bolton said. “It’s not for them to put in jeopardy the other 300-plus million American citizens just because they think their morality is better than everybody else’s.”