Bolton reportedly announced his support of officials who testified during impeachment inquiry

During a private event Thursday in Austin, Texas, former National Security Adviser John Bolton praised five government officials who testified in the House impeachment inquiry, KXAN reports.

During a question-and-answer session, Bolton said Fiona Hill, Tim Morrison, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, Bill Taylor, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch all "acted in the best interest of the country as they saw it and consistent to what they thought our policies are." He also said members of the Trump administration should "feel they're able to speak their minds without retribution. The idea that somehow testifying to what you think is true is destructive to the system of government we have — I think, is very nearly the reverse — the exact reverse of the truth."

In her testimony, Hill, President Trump's former top Russia adviser, debunked a conspiracy theory that it was Ukraine, not Russia, that meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Morrison, a former senior White House national security official, testified that U.S. Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland told him he let Ukraine know Trump would unfreeze military aid once leaders announced investigations into Democrats.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Taylor, the former acting U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, also testified that he was told aid to Ukraine was dependent on investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden. Vindman, the director of European Affairs for the White House National Security Council, was on Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and reported to his superiors that Trump requested Zelensky open an investigation into Biden. Yovanovitch testified that she was the victim of a successful smear campaign orchestrated by Trump's personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani.

On Sunday, The New York Times reported that in his upcoming book, Bolton contradicts Trump's claims that there was no quid pro quo with Ukraine. Democrats want Bolton to testify during Trump's impeachment trial, and the Senate is expected to vote on calling more witnesses Friday.