During testimony before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer stated that former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s claim that President Trump asked Chinese President Xi to help ensure his re-election are “Absolutely untrue.” And “Never happened.”
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) asked Lighthizer if he was at the meeting “between President Trump and Chinese President Xi in June 2019 in Japan?”
Lighthizer responded that he didn’t remember what month it was, and “There was a meeting on the outskirts of the G20 in Osaka between the president and President Xi, and I was in that meeting. I don’t know whether that’s the one you’re referring to. But that’s the situation.”
Menendez then brought up Bolton’s allegation that, during that meeting, Trump tried to convince Xi to help ensure Trump would win re-election.
Lighthizer responded, “Absolutely untrue. Never happened. I was there. I have no recollection of that ever happening. I don’t believe it’s true. I don’t believe it ever happened.”
Menendez pushed back “So, now you fully recollect that you were there?”
Lighthizer responded, “No, I was at the meeting. Would I recollect if something as crazy as that [happened]? Of course, I would recollect it. I was at the meeting.”
Menendez then cut in to ask, “You weren’t sure at the beginning that you were at the meeting. So, now that I know you’re at the meeting, you, in essence, dispute Mr. Bolton’s account of what took place?”
Lighthizer responded, “Yes, that’s correct. … I said what meeting I was at, and this never happened in it, for sure. Completely crazy.”
(h/t Daily Caller)
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