Sunday, June 21, 2020

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE

Office of the Press Secretary

REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
BEFORE MARINE ONE DEPARTURE
South Lawn
 
3:54 P.M. EDT
 
     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, we had a very good decision in the John Bolton book case.  And the judge was very powerful in his statements on classified information and very powerful also on the fact that the country will get the money -- any money he makes.  So I hope a lot of books -- well, I probably don’t hope that.  But whatever he makes, he’s going to be giving back, in my opinion.  Based on the ruling, he’s going to be giving back.

     I think the judge was very smart and very indignant at what Bolton did.  I think it was a great ruling.  Obviously, the book was already out; it leaked and everything else.  But he leaked classified information, so he’s got a big problem.

     The event in Oklahoma is unbelievable.  The crowds are unbelievable.  They haven’t seen anything like it.  And we will go there now.  We’ll give a, hopefully, good speech.  We’re going to see a lot of great people, a lot of great friends.  And pretty much, that’s it.  Okay?

     Q    Why did you fire Geoffrey Berman?  Why did you fire him?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Well, that’s all up to the Attorney General.  Attorney General Barr is working on that.  That’s his department, not my department.  But we have a very capable Attorney General.  So that’s really up to him.  I’m not involved.

     Q    The U.S. economy is doing very good --

     THE PRESIDENT:  India?

     Q    The U.S. economy is doing very good, but countries in Europe and Asia are now doing very bad -- very badly.  What are your positions to that?

     THE PRESIDENT:  The U.S. economy is doing amazingly well.  That’s right, thank you.

     Q    What is your position to other countries?

     THE PRESIDENT:  Yeah, I would say that the numbers that we’re doing are record-setting numbers.  We have record-setting job numbers.  We have record-setting, as you know, retail sales numbers; that just came out.  The U.S. economy is doing very, very well.

     Q    What is your assessment of the situation between India and China, sir?
   
     THE PRESIDENT:  It’s a very tough situation.  We’re talking to India.  We’re talking to China.  They’ve got a big problem there.  They’ve come to blows, and we’ll see what happens.  We’ll try and help them out.

     Okay?  Thank you very much.  See you in Oklahoma.

                                       END                3:56

Statement from the Press Secretary

Office of the Press Secretary
Statement from the Press Secretary
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia today vindicated the Government’s claims against former National Security Adviser John Bolton, ruling that “Bolton likely jeopardized national security by disclosing classified information in violation of his nondisclosure agreement obligations.”  The court rightly chastised Bolton for treating as “intolerable” a review process for his book that the court believed was “reasonable.”  As the court explained, “Bolton has gambled with the national security of the United States,” hoping to secure profits by violating his nondisclosure agreements.  But Bolton bet wrong, and the downside of his losing bet is that he “stands to lose his profits from the book deal, exposes himself to criminal liability, and imperils national security.”

The court denied the Government’s request for an injunction solely because Bolton’s wrongful conduct—carried out in secret—had already ensured that the book was so widely disseminated that the court believed it could no longer grant an effective remedy.

The Government intends to hold Bolton to the further requirements of his agreements and to ensure that he receives no profits from his shameful decision to place his desire for money and attention ahead of his obligations to protect national security.