Trump rages as Bolton revelations put pressure on Republicans

US President Donald Trump on Monday unleashed his rage on Twitter following reports on a new book by former national security advisor John Bolton.
Bolton in the book says the President directly told him that he was holding up aid to Ukraine until Kiev announced a probe into his domestic rivals.
The allegations, reported in The New York Times and later in the Washington Post, would undercut Trump’s defence in his impeachment trial, set to get underway.
Trump said in one tweet: “I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens.
“In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.”
Trump tweeted or retweeted about a dozen messages related to Bolton, the former national security adviser who was fired in 2019.
Trump further claimed that Democrats had never asked Bolton to testify in their inquiry.
He said leading lawmakers from the opposition party have repeatedly said they wanted the former White House aide to speak to them and are demanding that the Senate invites him to the trial.
The reports about Bolton’s book have placed additional pressure on members of Trump’s Republican Party in the Senate, who are against calling witnesses and are seeking to have the trial wrap up by the end of the week.
The Democratic case for impeachment argues that Trump abused his office by pressuring Kiev via means such as withholding military aid and a White House meeting, in order to get Ukraine to help tarnish one of his rivals, Joe Biden.
dpa/NAN.