Speaker Nancy Pelosi is accusing former White House national security adviser John Bolton of running "a con" over what she called his empty offer to testify before the Senate during its impeachment trial of Donald Trump, allowing him to "make money" off an upcoming tell-all book about the president.
"This is called a con," the California Democrat told reporters on Thursday as Washington continued to be rocked by parts of Mr Bolton's book that were leaked to several major US media outlets. Collectively, Mr Bolton's claims paint a portrait of a commander in chief who is erratic, often ill-informed, and mostly interested in his own re-election efforts over US interests.
The remark put Ms Pelosi and Peter Navarro, the president's conservative top trade adviser, in a rare moment of agreement.
"My take on him is 'Big Lie' Bolton, it’s 'Book Deal' Bolton," Mr Navarro told reporters outside the White House. "He is doing it for the money, that is pretty clear. And my view is it the Washington’s swamp's equivalent of revenge porn.'
Asked if she intends to read or purchase The Room Where It Happened, Ms Pelosi chuckled before saying, "I'm not paying any money for a book that was a substitute for testifying before Congress."
She was referring to Mr Bolton's refusal to testify during her House Democrats' process that led to Mr Trump becoming just the third US president to be impeached by the House.
After facing criticism, including from some GOP officials, Mr Bolton offered to testify during the Senate trial that led to Republicans in that chamber acquitting the president on counts of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
The speaker said Mr Bolton made the offer only to save face, knowing Senate Republicans would not issue a subpoena for his testimony or call him as a witness.
Ms Pelosi and several of her committee chairs have vowed to continue investigating all things Trump right up until Election Day as Senate Republicans are launching their own probes in defence of the president.
But the speaker would not take a position on whether the accusations in Mr Bolton's book will cause Democrats to subpoena his testimony.
"We'll be discussing how the American people are best served by oversight," she said, adding: "We'll make a judgment" after committee chairs and Democratic leaders meet.
Though she held her views on bringing in Mr Bolton close to the vest, she was again open about her assessment of Mr Trump, calling him "ethically unfit and intellectually unprepared to be president."
The two have not spoken in months, aides say.
Here are seven of the boldest claims Mr Bolton makes in his book about Mr Trump.
