Trump defended Saudi Prince to divert focus from Ivanka’s email controversy, claims Bolton

US President Donald Trump defended Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the assassination of Washington Post columnist Jalam Khashoggi to distract reporters from covering Ivanka Trump’s use of private email account, former National Security Adviser John Bolton claimed in his new book.

The New York Times and Post obtained the early copies of Bolton’s new book 'The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir' which gives a comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump Administration. According to Simon & Schuster, the former NSA has produced a “precise rendering” of his days in and around the Oval Office.

“I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn’t driven by reelection calculations,” writes Bolton.

In October 2018, Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the Central Intelligence Agency reports suggested that Crown Prince ordered the killing. However, Trump read an exclamation-mark-filled statement and letting Salman off the hook by saying they “may never know” all the facts around Khashoggi’s murder.

“'Our intelligence agencies continue to assess all information, but it could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event - maybe he did and maybe he didn't!' Trump had said.

Read: US: Trump Moves In Office Guided By Reelection Concerns Claims Bolton

Similar to Clinton's mail use

Trump’s statement on Crown Prince came immediately after reports of her daughter Ivanka using private email server for discussing White House businesses emerged. Officials confirmed the use of private email address but her lawyers claimed that she sent the email before she was briefed in the rules.

The possible violation of federal records rules was similar to that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email controversy for which Trump vigorously attacked her rival ahead of the 2016 presidential elections. Calling Clinton’s actions “illegal”, Trump had said that the “scandal” was “bigger than Watergate” and frequently encouraged his supporters to chant “lock her up” during campaigns.

After Trump’s statement on Saudi Crown Prince, the US President said that it will “divert from Ivanka”, according to Bolton’s new book. “If I read the statement in person, that will take over the Ivanka thing.”

Read: US President Trump: Former Adviser Bolton Faces Charges If Book Released