Assuming that Bolton is telling the truth, the really shocking part about this New York Times story is not that John Bolton says he told Bill Barr, but that Bill Barr actually cared: WASHINGTON — John R. Bolton, the former national security adviser, privately told Attorney General William P. Barr last year that he had concerns that President Trump was effectively granting personal favors to the autocratic leaders of Turkey and China, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr.