National security adviser John Bolton named five countries he believes are spreading lies about dysfunction in the Trump administration.
“We have substantial reason to believe that North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, Russia, and China have made a decision to — and you can see it publicly — to try to sow disinformation about the administration, and to say that the president and his advisers are divided, and things like that,” Bolton said Tuesday during a Wall Street Journal event in Washington, D.C.
Asked about reports about President Trump appearing to break with him on North Korea and Iran, Bolton blamed the media in the U.S. for spreading the misinformation. “The stenographers of these regimes in the American press immediately pick it up,” he said.
He also railed against a New York Times report that said Bolton was “noticeably absent” from a banquet in Japan that was attended by Trump, the Japanese emperor, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Bolton said he was sick and that the Times and CNN, which reported his absence, never reached out to ask why he was not in attendance.
White House National Security Adviser John Bolton discusses the impact of tariffs on China at our #WSJCFO Network meeting in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/R7kfpfKX1j
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 11, 2019
Bolton joined the Trump administration in April 2018, replacing retired Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, whose tenure as national security adviser was marred by constant leaks among his staff.
