White House, "Bolton Book Includes Secrets"

Sent Letter to Bolton Applying Private Pressure
Trump's Frustration Explodes at Bolton

Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The White House in the United States has blocked the publication of a book written by former National Security Council (NSC) advisor John Bolton. It is interpreted as exerting pressure to prevent the disclosure of content unfavorable to President Donald Trump.

According to U.S. media such as CNN and The Hill on the 29th (local time), the NSC claimed in a letter sent to Bolton's attorney that "a serious amount of classified information is included" after reviewing the manuscript of Bolton's book. This was a response to the manuscript sent by Bolton's side to the NSC prior to the book's publication.

In a letter sent to Bolton's side on the 23rd, the NSC mentioned that the manuscript contained top secret information, and if published, it could pose a serious threat to national security. Therefore, it emphasized that the manuscript should not be published or its contents disclosed externally without deleting the classified parts. CNN reported that neither the White House nor Bolton's side responded regarding the existence of this letter.

Bolton's book is known to contain decisive content that President Trump linked aid to Ukraine with investigations into corruption involving former Vice President Joe Biden and his son. This has drawn intense attention from the U.S. political circles amid the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump.

If the proposal to adopt Bolton as a witness passes the Senate, the impeachment trial could enter a new phase. Some rebellion votes are expected even within the Republican Party, deepening concerns for the Republican leadership and the White House. The British daily The Guardian reported that the letter sent by the NSC came at a time when Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not secured enough Republican senators to block Bolton's witness appearance.

President Trump disparaged Bolton on Twitter that day, saying, "If I had listened to his advice, World War III would have broken out." Trump strongly criticized the 'Libya model' that the 'super hawk' Bolton advocated as a solution to North Korea's nuclear issue, expressing his dissatisfaction intensively. CNN argued that Trump's tweets attacking Bolton could actually weaken his own claims of innocence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.