'You hired him genius': Trump hammered with mockery for denouncing Bolton as a 'wacko dope'

President Donald Trump launched a late-night attack against his former national security adviser John Bolton -- whom he called a "wacko" and a "dope" -- and other social media users wondered why he'd hired a man like that.

Bolton is publishing a new book that contains explosive claims of incompetence and wrongdoing, which he refused to testify about before Congress during Trump's impeachment trial, and the president lashed out as excerpts start making news -- and as the Justice Department asks a judge to halt the publication.

"Wacko John Bolton’s 'exceedingly tedious' (New York Times) book is made up of lies & fake stories," Trump tweeted shortly after midnight. "Said all good about me, in print, until the day I fired him. A disgruntled boring fool who only wanted to go to war. Never had a clue, was ostracized & happily dumped. What a dope!"

The attack was met with widespread mockery and contempt.