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Colbert Slams John Bolton as 'Naive' and Laughs in His Face After Bolton Says He Thought Trump Would 'Want to Learn'
CBS

President Donald Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton remains on the receiving end of Trump's Twitter ire after revelations from Bolton's tell-all book paint the picture of an inept and corrupt commander in chief.

Bolton's memoir of his time in the Trump administration, The Room Where It Happened, alleges that Trump implored Chinese officials to help with his reelection effort, that he supported China's Muslim concentration camps, and a wealth of other disturbing actions.

But Bolton isn't getting praise from Trump's critics. The former advisor says now that the House Select Committee on impeachment should've expanded its investigation beyond the President's corrupt dealings in Ukraine, but Bolton's refusal to testify played an integral part in limiting the investigation.

Another criticism Bolton faces on his quest for a redemption arc is that he stayed with the administration for so long, even while Trump was—as Bolton alleges—pursuing deplorable avenues to remain in power.

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert held Bolton's feet to the fire in the pair's recent interview.

Watch below.

Bolton defended his decision to vote for Trump in 2016, saying he thought the American people "had to try it out."

Colbert responded:

"I guess what's exasperating is there is absolutely nothing that Donald Trump has done that is surprising to me. My rule is that everything you think about Donald Trump is probably true, because he's not deep enough to get your socks wet in. He's incredibly readable. That's why when he ran casinos, the house lost. There's nothing to learn about him. That's why he's a essentially a boring person. How did you not know beforehand that he was just callow?"

Bolton responded:

"Because I couldn't believe it was that bad. And I know other people say they say it from the beginning—"

Colbert was at a loss:

"But you're an international negotiator. How could you be naive? You've dealt with the worst people in the world."

Bolton accused Colbert of "really insulting" him by calling him naive, assuring that he'd hoped the President would be more receptive to learning about national security.

This prompted Colbert to laugh.

People were just as incredulous at Bolton's answers as Colbert was.





Some thought Colbert's interview of Bolton was more productive and informative than Bolton's interviews with mainstream anchors.





Bolton's book hit shelves this week.