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Bolton said Trump knows what “burner phones” are after Trump said he’d “never even heard the term.”
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The January 6 panel has obtained the official White House call logs from January 6, 2021.
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The panel is investigating the White House’s possible use of burner phones that day.
Former national security advisor John Bolton on Tuesday reacted to news that there was a seven-hour gap in President Donald Trump’s call logs on January 6, 2021, saying that Trump was aware of the meaning of “burner phones.”
The Washington Post and CBS News reported earlier Tuesday that the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot is examining a gap in the White House call logs that day to determine whether Trump communicated through his aides’ phones or disposable phones, often referred to as “burner phones.”
Trump, for his part, said he’s unaware of what a burner phone is.
“I have no idea what a burner phone is, to the best of my knowledge I have never even heard the term,” Trump said in a statement Monday night, according to the Post.
But Bolton, who served as Trump’s national security advisor from 2018 to 2019, claimed in an interview with The Post that Trump is indeed aware of the term “burner phones.” After the report was published, Bolton told the Post that he recounts Trump using the term “burner phones” in discussions they’ve had, and that Trump knows what the term means. He added that the two spoke about how people used “burner phones” to avoid scrutiny of their phone calls.
A member of the January 6 committee said the panel is investigating a “possible coverup” of the official White House record of January 6. A Trump spokesperson told the Post that Trump played no part in the White House call logs and assumed all of his calls were recorded.
The Post reported earlier Tuesday on the official White House call logs from January 6 that have been obtained by the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot.
According to the records, Trump placed and received a slew of calls the morning of January 6, speaking to several White House officials such as chief of staff Mark Meadows, as well as his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani and a few members of Congress, including Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. But for seven hours and 37 minutes, from 11:17 a.m. to 6:54 p.m., there is no record of any calls Trump made, the Post reported.
The seven-hour gap in the White House record also contradicts previous reporting of Trump’s communications during that time period, including a mistaken phone call to Sen. Mike Lee of Utah when Trump wanted to reach Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama instead, and a testy phone call between Trump and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy as the riot ensued, the Post noted.
A spokesperson for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
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