Yes, John Bolton said that he would lie to defend national security. No, it is not relevant to claims that Bolton apparently makes in his upcoming book.

I note this in light of Sean Davis’s argument to the contrary. The Federalist writer references Bolton’s 2010 comments on the Fox Business Network that he would lie to protect national security. Davis suggests that those comments undermine the claims in Bolton’s book. The New York Times has reported that the former national security adviser’s book alleges that President Trump did indeed withhold aid from Ukraine to extract that nation’s agreement to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.