Pompeo: "Bolton, a Traitor Who Harmed the United States"

Bolton Memoir "The Room Where It Happened" Responds with "I Was Also in That Room"

▲Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dismissed as untrue all the contents of the upcoming book "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir" by former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton.

On the 18th (local time), according to the U.S. State Department, Secretary Pompeo issued a statement titled "I Was Also in That Room," saying, "I have never read the book, but according to excerpts from it, Bolton is spreading many lies and complete falsehoods." He added, "It is sad and dangerous that Bolton’s last official role was as a traitor who harmed the United States by betraying the sacred trust of the American people."

Pompeo also said, "Our friends around the world know that President Donald Trump is a force for good in the world."

Earlier, former advisor Bolton revealed in his book that Secretary Pompeo mocked President Trump as a "liar." According to Bolton, during a call between the South Korean and U.S. presidents ahead of the June 2018 North Korea-U.S. Singapore summit, Pompeo and Bolton mocked the president’s way of speaking on the call. Bolton’s memoir states that Pompeo, who overheard the call in the Middle East, told him, "I almost had a heart attack in Saudi Arabia."

Local foreign media unanimously reported that even the top aides made fun of the president.

According to The New York Times (NYT), Bolton claimed that during the North Korea-U.S. summit, Pompeo handed him a note saying, "The president is a liar."

Pompeo’s predecessor, former Secretary Rex Tillerson, is also known to have called President Trump a "fool" behind his back.

Meanwhile, President Trump strongly criticized former advisor Bolton on his Twitter on the same day. Trump said, "Crazy John Bolton has embarrassed the country," adding, "He ruined relations with North Korea and still does."

President Trump also criticized Bolton’s publication itself, harshly stating, "Bolton’s book, which is receiving terrible reviews, is a collection of stories made up of lies."

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