Press Sec. Grisham: Timing of Bolton Book Story Very Suspect

The timing of a newspaper article detailing claims reportedly made about President Donald Trump and Ukraine in an upcoming book by former national security adviser John Bolton is "very, very suspect," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Monday. 

"Our team just went on Saturday and in two hours undid all of the hours and hours, in 24 hours, that the Dems did in the Senate trial," Grisham told Fox News' "Fox and Friends." "It's very clear the president did nothing wrong. Suddenly, this manuscript has magically appeared in the hands of The New York Times."

The New York Times reported Sunday that Bolton claims in a manuscript of his upcoming book that Trump's hold on Ukraine aid was linked to demands for an investigation on Joe Biden and other Democrats. Trump overnight denied the claims.

Grisham pointed out that Amazon has put up a link for the book, titled "The Room Where It Happened," for presales orders, with the book's official release set for March 17. The book is being published by Simon and Schuster, "the same publisher that (James) Comey used," she said. 

Bolton sent the transcript of the book to the White House on Dec. 30 for review, and Grisham said that is "something we have kept walled off for obvious reasons," as it "could be a conflict with the trial going on."

She added that there is "nothing that I have seen and nothing that I know about in terms of what they would remove for national security." 

"I don't know if they have done anything, if they have made any edits yet for the national security and if there is any classified information out there,' said Grisham. "But, if there is, it's a very, very dangerous precedent to set once again."

Grisham also Monday rejected claims made by Rep. Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, that Trump had threatened him on Twitter with comments made that the California Democrat has "not paid the price yet" for his actions.  

"I think Schiff has shockingly thin skin if he thinks that was any kind of a threat from the president of the United States," said Grisham. I believe it means there will be consequences with the American people and at the ballot box...I think he was grandstanding once again and playing the pity card that he just got threatened by the president. I think people see through that."

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