The US Secretary of State strongly attacked Bolton, describing him as “a liar and a traitor who harmed America by violating sacred trust”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Thursday condemned the “lies” of former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who is preparing to publish a book in which he strongly criticizes President Donald Trump.

“It is both sad and dangerous that the last public role of John Bolton is that of a traitor who has harmed America by violating sacred trust with its people,” Pompeo said in a statement.

“I have not read the book, but according to the published excerpts, John Bolton publishes a number of lies, half-truths, and other completely false,” he added.

“To all our friends around the world,” Pompeo said, “You know that President Trump’s America is a force for good in the world”.

In an excerpt from an interview published Thursday, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton announced that Trump was “not qualified for the presidency” ahead of the forthcoming release of his book on his duties at the White House next week.

Speaking of Trump in an interview with ABC, to be published in full at the weekend, Bolton said, “I don’t think he is eligible for the job”.

I don’t think he has the competence to take this position”.

The Trump administration is striving to stop publishing the “The Room It Happend” diary, confirming that the book contains information that is classified in the strictest secrecy.

In the book, excerpts of which were published in three newspapers Wednesday, Bolton wrote that Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help with his re-election, and expressed support for Beijing’s policy of collective imprisonment of Uighur Muslims and other minorities.

Bolton cited Trump’s engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying that Trump was focusing on “an opportunity to take a picture and the press reacted to it” rather than focusing on long-term US interests.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday rejected the thunderous remarks of Bolton.

He wrote in a Thursday morning tweet that “Bolton’s book is a set of false lies and narratives, all with the aim of showing me badly”.