Ex-Trump chief of staff John Kelly: 'I believe' John Bolton and the Senate 'should hear' from him

John Kelly, a former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, told a crowd in Sarasota, Florida on Tuesday that he believes former national security adviser John Bolton's claim that Trump directly linked releasing military aid to Ukraine with launching investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that Kelly told an audience at a Ringling College Library Association Town Hall lecture that Bolton is a reliable source and should be heard out if reporting about his upcoming book is accurate.

"If John Bolton says that in the book I believe John Bolton," Kelly said, and then added that "every single time I was with [Bolton]... he always gave the president the unvarnished truth."

Kelly also said that it was important for the Senate to hear from witnesses so American voters could get the full picture of what happened with Trump's purportedly "perfect" Ukraine call.

"I mean half of Americans think this process is purely political and shouldn’t be happening but since it is happening the majority of Americans would like to hear the whole story,” Kelly said. "I think some of the conversations seem to me to be very inappropriate but I wasn’t there. But there are people that were there that ought to be heard from."