Trump tweeted around noon:"I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House. 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 Advisor next week."
But just an hour before the announcement,the White House announced that Bolton would be appearing at a 1.30pm news conference alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. If Bolton was on his way out as of Monday night,why did the White House press office not seem to know about it at 11am Tuesday?
Adding to the intrigue is Bolton's comments. His tweets on Monday night and Tuesday didn't indicate anything had changed,and shortly after Trump's tweets,he chimed in by saying,"I offered to resign last night and President Trump said,'Let's talk about it tomorrow.'"
Bolton went on to tellThe Washington Post's Robert Costa:"Let's be clear,I resigned,having offered to do so last night."Pressed further,he said,"I will have my say in due course. But I have given you the facts on the resignation. My sole concern is US national security."
Bolton,who is apparently already talking to several media outlets,offered a fuller and more direct contradiction toThe Daily Beast. After it quoted White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham,who backed up Trump's account,Bolton responded in a text:"[White House] press secretary statement is flatly incorrect."
Those statements don't necessarily add up to a complete contradiction of what Trump said,but they are entirely suggestive of one. Trump implied he initiated the resignation,but Bolton says he offered it.
Bolton also suggests Trump didn't make a final determination on Monday night,even as Trump claims he had already decided and made the request.