Thread by @benrileysmith

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Donald Trump ordered the removal of UK ambassador Kim Darroch after his cables leaked.

John Bolton tells @Telegraph the president called and said “get him out of here”.

Thread...
telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/0…

Bolton got the call early in the morning after Darroch’s cables disparaging Trump were published.

He says around 6am or 7am - which was early for the president...

He then picked up the phone to Mark Sedwill, Britain’s top civil servant, to pass on the order.

Bolton said “things are going to get worse unless you can figure out how to get him out”.

It was an extraordinary break from diplomatic norms.

A US president was demanding Britain remove our man in Washington.

It’s understood Mark Sedwill pushed back hard, arguing the UK ambassador could not simply be “run out of town”.

One ex-White House source who dealt with the fallout called him “furious” and “white hot” over the demand.

There was discussion about whether Darroch could head out of DC for a bit (it was summer) while the situation cooled.

In the end Darroch fell on his sword. Cables dropped July 7 2019. Resignation announcement came three days later - July 10.

Here is Bolton’s full recollection of Trump order to get Darroch removed. (W House + Darroch did not comment when approached)

Last one on this. It got me thinking, has a US president ever ordered the removal of a UK ambassador before??

I asked Prof Tony Badger, who once held Cambridge Uni’s most prodigious US history post, if he could think of another example.

He could not.