Key Words: ‘I believe John Bolton,’ says Trump’s former Chief of Staff Kelly

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President Donald Trump with then-Chief of Staff John Kelly, left, and then-National security adviser John Bolton, right, after holding a press conference at a G7 Summit in June 2018 in La Malbaie, Canada.

‘If John Bolton says that in the book, I believe John Bolton.’

John Kelly, former White House chief of staff

President Donald Trump’s former White House chief of staff sided with John Bolton in comments late Monday when asked about the ex-National Security Adviser’s claim that Trump told him he wanted to tie Ukraine aid to an investigation of the Bidens.

Speaking in Sarasota, Fla., retired Gen. John Kelly told an audience that every time he was present in discussions with the security adviser and Trump, Bolton always gave the president “the unvarnished truth,” according to a report in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Trump has denied telling Bolton that aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations. “If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book,” Trump said on Twitter.

On Tuesday, Trump’s legal team is making its final arguments in the president’s impeachment trial, and was seeking to persuade senators that further testimony isn’t needed, in the wake of Bolton’s reported comments in his forthcoming book.

Kelly, meanwhile, said he supports calling witnesses, according to the Herald-Tribune.

Now read: Trump impeachment: Romney signals vote for witnesses may have a chance, other Republicans just want Bolton’s book.