Outgoing National Security Advisor John Bolton said he offered his resignation to President Donald Trump on Monday, putting his account at odds with the president, who announced Tuesday that he ordered the senior White House official to step down.
“I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, “Let’s talk about it tomorrow,”” Bolton wrote on Twitter.
Earlier Tuesday, President Trump announced he had fired Bolton and plans to name a replacement next week.
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” the president wrote. “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning.
“I thank John very much for his service. I will be naming a new national security adviser next week.”
President Trump hasn’t elaborated on what led to Bolton’s dismissal, but internal strife over a canceled plan to host Taliban negotiators at Camp David may have been a factor, CNN reported.
The administration planned a secret peace meeting among U.S., Taliban and Afghanistan leaders last weekend, but canceled on the same day a suicide bomber attacked Kabul.
Earlier Tuesday, the White House press office said Bolton would appear with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin at a briefing.
Since taking office more than two years ago, President Trump has had three national security advisers — Bolton, Michael Flynn, H.R. McMaster. Bolton had been in the job since April 2018.
The UPI contributed to this report.
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