Pompeo calls Bolton 'a traitor'

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo branded as “a traitor” former White House national security adviser John Bolton, who has accused President Donald Trump in a book of sweeping misdeeds and said he is not fit for office.

"I've not read the book, but from the excerpts I've seen published, John Bolton is spreading a number of lies, fully-spun half-truths, and outright falsehoods," Pompeo said in a statement. "It is both sad and dangerous that John Bolton's final public role is that of a traitor who damaged America by violating his sacred trust with its people."

"To our friends around the world: you know that President Trump's America is a force for good in the world," CNN cited Pompeo as saying.

Pompeo's comments come as the White House scrambles to halt the release of Bolton's new book, "In the Room Where it Happened," in which Bolton details a troubling and shocking series of allegations about his tenure as Trump's national security adviser. He alleges that Trump requested Chinese help to win the 2020 election, that the President argued Venezuela is part of the U.S., that he casually offered to intervene in the criminal justice system for foreign leaders and that Trump had no problem with China's concentration camps.