Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said Tuesday he would consider testifying against Attorney General William P. Barr if House Democrats ask for his testimony.
“I’ll certainly consider it if and when it comes up and consult with my lawyers and try and do the right thing,” Mr. Bolton said in a virtual interview with The Washington Post.
Mr. Bolton was asked about the firing of Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York whose office was investigating some of the president’s associates. Mr. Berman was fired by the president Saturday after he refused to step down from the position, but the White House has not offered an explanation for the removal.
Mr. Bolton said he did not have any knowledge about the firing but he did hear Mr. Trump discuss the investigation into Halkbank, a Turkish bank. Prosecutors from Mr. Berman’s office were investigating whether the bank violated U.S sanctions against Iran.
The president spoke of the investigation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Mr. Bolton’s book released this week.
Mr. Bolton told The Post that the president’s talk with his Turkish counterpart, along with remarks about influencing the probe, left him concerned.
When asked if he would testify against Mr. Barr and whether Justice Department leadership tried to influence the investigation, Mr. Bolton appeared reluctant.
“You know I’d rather not get into a hypothetical,” he said. “Let’s see what [the Democrats] do. The way they mishandled the impeachment inquiry gives me pause, I have to say — especially in light of the circumstances and things that President Trump has done to prevent the book itself from being from being published.”
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