President Donald Trump will reportedly ask the Justice Department to get revenge on former National Security Advisor John Bolton once the Senate has voted not to remove him from office this week, Vanity Fair reported Monday citing a prominent Republican source.
Bolton has become a central figure in the impeachment debate surrounding Trump, with Democrats keen to have him testify in front of senators—while the political world eagerly awaits his tell-all memoir detailing his time in Trump’s turbulent White House.
According to the Vanity Fair article, however, Bolton’s prominent role has put him squarely in Trump’s crosshairs and at the top of an enemies list to be addressed once Republican senators acquit the president.
Rick Wilson, an author, analyst and long-time Republican operative, suggested that Bolton’s only chance now was to leak his explosive book manuscript before the Senate vote, which is expected to take place Wednesday.
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“As I predicted. Bolton blew his one shot,” Wilson wrote. “Unless the manuscript leaks before the vote, he’s f****d and Trump will likely use Attorney General Bill Barr to put him in prison. Just a reminder that knowing about grand strategy doesn’t mean you know about political strategy.”
Last month, The New York Times reported that Bolton’s unreleased manuscript claimed the president told his then-national security advisor he wanted to continue withholding $391 million of military aid until Ukraine helped with investigations into Democrats, including possible 2020 rival Joe Biden.
Trump was impeached by the House in December over his alleged effort to extort the Ukrainian government to interfere in the 2020 election. Despite significant evidence, Republican senators are expected to vote against removing Trump from office.
Democrats pushed for Bolton and other senior administration officials to testify at the Senate trial after Bolton said he was willing to appear, but the White House and GOP senators fought to block any new testimony.
According to Vanity Fair, Trump is planning a revenge campaign once acquitted by his GOP allies this week. The magazine cited an unnamed prominent Republican as saying “it’s payback time,” and another source warning: “He has an enemies list that is growing by the day.
Among those on the top of his list are House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Adam Schiff, House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jerry Nadler, Republican Senator Mitt Romney, and Bolton, Vanity Fair reported.
