Donald Trump is known for his vendetta politics.
A new book has confirmed this nature of the former president, who is currently being investigated.
Trump considered tapping White House phones to spy on officials whom he suspected leaked information.
That’s according to excerpts from a yet-to-be-released book by former Trump administration official Miles Taylor, Axios reported. The book is due for release on July 18.
Former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly stopped Trump in his tracks. Such a thing would be illegal, Kelly told Trump.
The incident reportedly happened in 2018.
The claims from Taylor, who authored an op-ed while working at the Department of Homeland Security, come as Trump raises copious funds for his 2024 campaign coffer.
The former president has faced two indictments in the recent past and is staring at many more legal challenges. Yet, polls have shown he is leading among the crowded field of GOP candidates.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, responded to the allegation by calling Taylor “a loser and a lying sack of s—.”
“His book either belongs in the discount bin of the fiction section or should be repurposed as toilet paper,” said Cheung in addition to comment about the book.
In the new book, Taylor spoke about the former president would often show classified documents to reporters while he was office.
“We were all disturbed by the lapse in protocol and poor protection of classified information,” said Taylor in his book.
Trump said he wanted to pursue all the leakers in the White House. Former Chief of Staff John Kelly pushed back on the idea. Kelly never carried out Trump’s demand.
Taylor was the author of the anonymous op-ed written in the New York Times while working at the Department of Homeland Security where officials were trying to limit the former president’s agenda.
It was written in the book that Trump had showed classified documents related to the death of Jamal Khashoggi to reporters, which was said from then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
“He’s the President of the United States,” said Bolton in an interview with NBC News. “Are you supposed to say, ‘Mr. President, let’s be clear. We don’t trust you. Give us the document back.’ ”
Trump is currently facing legal uphill battle for the mishandling of classified documents after leaving office refusing to give back classified information to the National Archives.
Produced in association with Benzinga
Edited by Alberto Arellano and Joseph Hammond
