Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) says he wishes that former National Security Advisor John Bolton had testified before the House during the impeachment proceeding to discuss his allegations and be cross-examined.
However, he says Bolton did not want to testify because he wanted to “monetize” his security clearance by detailing, as he says, President Donald Trump’s illegal behavior.
In an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Scott said, “I do wish that Mr. Bolton would have come in to the House under oath and testified.”
“One of the things about making allegations in a book for $29.95 — certainly going to be a best seller for sure — the problem is that when you’re selling it in a book, you’re not putting yourself in a position to be cross-examined,” he continued.
“So for $29.95, he can monetize his national security clearance. But under oath, he would have had an opportunity to answer questions and not just make assertions,” he added.
Scott asserted that it “would have been good” for Bolton to testify before the House to reveal details of “fact patterns.”
“So far, it looks like he’s monetized it, more than he has actually provided a fact pattern,” Scott said.
Watch the video below:
“I do wish that Mr. Bolton would have come in to the House under oath and testified,” Sen. Tim Scott tells @jonkarl.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 21, 2020
“The problem is that when you’re selling it in a book, you’re not putting yourself in a position to be cross-examined.” https://t.co/A5bLHxyed3 pic.twitter.com/OyUyOSsXlg
Bolton’s memoir “The Room Where It Happened” is set to be released on June 23, and has received criticism from Republicans and Democrats.
The publisher of the book says that Bolton shows that “Trump’s Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy.”
House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) blasted Bolton for not testifying before House during the impeachment process, but putting recording criminal and impeachable activity in his book, as IJR reported.
“When Bolton was asked, he refused, and said he’d sue if subpoenaed,” Schiff said in a tweet last week. “Instead, he saved it for a book.”
“Bolton may be an author, but he’s no patriot,” he added.