NEW YORK — There has been no evidence presented indicating any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to usurp the 2016 presidential election and it is “just a travesty that this is being dragged out,” exclaimed John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

“You know, we’ve seen Washington in the past year awash about leaks about Trump, his campaign, his presidency,” stated Bolton. “I would think if there was any real evidence that would have leaked out. That would have been too good for somebody to withhold. It hasn’t happened yet.”

“I think it’s just a travesty that this is being dragged out. I don’t have any doubt that Russia tried to interfere in the election because I think it wants to reduce American faith in their institutions.  But as for the specific picture that the president’s opponents are trying to paint, they are painting without colors at this point.”

Speaking to this reporter, Bolton continued:

I’ve read the book shattered about Hillary Clinton’s campaign. I was fascinated to read that in the days after her defeat unable to come up with an explanation as to why she had lost –  like maybe she was not a very good candidate who didn’t have appealing policies for the American people – her campaign staff decided that it was the Russians that had caused them the election.

Now since then, Hillary Clinton has had her own long list of excuses why she didn’t win, but certainly that germinated the idea of the Russian collusion, the Russian connection. And there has not been any evidence.

Bolton was referring to the book “Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton’s Doomed Campaign,” in which authors  Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes quote Clinton insiders explaining how immediately after the election Clinton’s team sought to place the blame for her loss on the narrative of Russian interference.

“She wants to make sure all these narratives get spun the right way,” one longtime Clinton confidant was quoted in the book as saying.

According to the book, “within twenty-four hours” after Clinton conceded, senior campaign staffers John Podesta and Robby Mook hatched the plan to blame alleged Russian hacking as well as the news media’s focus on the failed candidate’s private email server.

Bolton spoke to Breitbart News on the sidelines of the Israel Day Concert in Central Park, which marked the 50th anniversary of Israel’s reunification of Jerusalem following the 1967 Six Day War.

Concert speakers included this reporter, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon, Bolton, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Consul General of Israel in New York Dani Dayan, President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) Morton Klein, and concert organizer Dr. Joe Frager.

 Aaron Klein is Breitbart’s Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, “Aaron Klein Investigative Radio.” Follow him on Twitter @AaronKleinShow. Follow him on Facebook.