FORGIVE ME.

WE'RE GOING TO -- WE HAVE JOHN

ROBERTS AT THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT

NOW I BELIEVE REACTING TO THE

BREAKING NEWS AND RUNNING OUT TO

A MICROPHONE.

THANK YOU.

WE APPRECIATE THAT.

WHAT STRIKES ME HERE IS THE

WORDING.

I INFORMED JOHN BOLTON THAT HIS

SERVICES ARE NO LONGER NEEDED AT

THE WHITE HOUSE.

THAT'S ROUGH.

>> IT IS.

THAT'S NOT SURPRISING THE

PRESIDENT DID THAT.

WHAT IS SURPRISING IS THAT JOHN

BOLTON WAS LISTED IN THE MEDIA

SCHEDULE TODAY AS GIVING A

BRIEFING WITH MIKE POMPEO AND

STEVE MNUCHIN THIS AFTERNOON.

WHAT I CAN TELL YOU, BECAUSE

I'VE BEEN TALKING TO FOLKS AT

THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT THIS OR

THE ADMINISTRATION ON AN

OFF-THE-RECORD BASIS.

JOHN BOLTON WAS QUICKLY FALLING

TO DISFAVOR AMONGst VERY

SIGNIFICANT PLAYERS AT THE WHITE

HOUSE BECAUSE OF HIS

DISAGREEMENT WITH THE PRESIDENT

OVER HAVING THE TALIBAN AT CAMP

DAVID AND THE OVERALL PEACE PLAN

FOR CAMP DAVID.

SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH THE

CONVERSATIONS THAT BOLTON HAD

WITH THE PRESIDENT ABOUT THIS

SAID HE DID NOT AGREE WITH

BRINGING THE TALIBAN TO CAMP

DAVID.

DIDN'T THINK THAT WAS A GOOD

IDEA.

ALSO WANTED TO SEE U.S. FORCES

DRAWN DOWN TO 8,600 AND

STABILIZED THERE, BUT NOT GO

BEYOND THAT.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT BOLTON HAS

BEEN AT ODDS WITH THE PRESIDENT

ON OCCASION OVER NORTH KOREA.

CERTAINLY BOLTON IS A HAWK ON

IRAN.

HE AND THE PRESIDENT WERE PRETTY

MUCH ALIGNED ON THAT FRONT.

THERE WERE CERTAIN AREAS WHERE

BOLTON HAD RUN AFOUL OF THE

PRESIDENT IN A WAY THAT THE

PRESIDENT EVENTUALLY BECAME

TIRED OF AND DECIDED THAT HIS

SERVICES WERE NO LONGER

REQUIRED.

AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN BUILDING

OVER SEVERAL MONTHS BUT IN

RECENT DAYS THAT THIS THING HAS

TAKEN ON A TERRIFIC AMOUNT OF

MOMENTUM.

THE WAY THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE

WHITE HOUSE WHO WERE IN VERY

HIGH POSITIONS KNEW THAT HE WAS

ON HIS WAY OUT SOON.

A LITTLE SURPRISED IT HAPPENED

THIS QUICKLY.

>> QUICK QUESTION, JOHN.

SO THE PRESIDENT, YOU KNOW, HE

LIKES HAVING PEOPLE AROUND HIM

THAT DISAGREE AND DISAGREE

VIGOROUSLY.

JOHN BOLTON HAS BEEN VERY

OUTSPOKEN SINCE THE TIME HE WAS

HERE.

HE HAS ALWAYS SPOKEN HIS MIND

VERY FIRMLY.

WHAT CHANGED NOW AND WHEN YOU

SAY THERE'S -- OTHER THAN HIM

BEING AGAINST THE TALIBAN

COMING, HE'S BEEN FOR AND

AGAINST A LOT OF THINGS IN THE

PAST.

YOU SAY THERE'S SIGNIFICANT

PEOPLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE NOW

THAT WERE REALLY UNHAPPY WITH

HIM.

LOOK WHO?

CAN YOU GIVE US A HINT?

>> NO.

THEY'RE ALL OFF-THE-REPORT

CONVERSATIONS.

LET'S JUST SAY AT THE HIGH UP

LEVELS AT THE WHITE HOUSE.

PERHAPS THE STRAW THAT BROKE THE

CAMEL'S BACK IS THIS IDEA THAT

BOLTON WAS OPPOSED TO WHAT WAS

GOING ON POTENTIALLY AT CAMP

DAVID WITH THE TALIBAN.

PEOPLE WERE LETTING IT BE KNOWN

THAT HE WAS ADD ODDS WITH THAT.

THE ADMINISTRATION WAS PUTTING

ON THIS FACE OF UNITY

SURROUNDING THIS IDEA OF GOING

TO CAMP DAVID.

WE HEARD FROM SECRETARY POMPEO

AND THE VICE PRESIDENT THAT THEY

WERE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE

PRESIDENT ON DECISIONS THAT HE

WAS MAKING ABOUT THE TALIBAN

EVEN THOUGH WE KNOW THAT POMPEO

WAS DRIVING THIS IDEA OF THE

PEACE PLAN.

THE VICE PRESIDENT, THE NATIONAL

SECURITY ADVISER BOLTON AND THE

CIA WERE ALL VERY SKEPTICAL

ABOUT THIS IDEA.

THEY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE

9-11 WHEN THE TALIBAN WAS IN

CONTROL.

I THINK THE FACT THAT PEOPLE

WERE COMING OUT, TO SAY THAT

BOLTON DISAGREED WITH THE

PRESIDENT MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE

STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S

BACK THERE.

AGAIN, THIS IS SOMETHING

BUILDING OVER TIME.

TO SOME DEGREE, THE PRESIDENT

APPRECIATED BOLTON'S CONTRARY

POSITIONS, CERTAINLY APPRECIATED

HIS FORCEFULNESS, HIS

HAWKISHNESS AT A NUMBER OF

ISSUES.

I DON'T THINK YOU CAN PEG IT TO

ANY ONE THING.

I THINK THE TURNING POINT IS

WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST COUPLE

DAYS WITH CAMP DAVID AND

TALIBAN.

>> JOHN, ARE THERE ANY

CANDIDATES TO SEE WHO MIGHT

REPLACE HIM?

>> THERE'S ALWAYS CANDIDATES.

NONE THAT HAVE REALLY BEEN

TALKED ABOUT OPENLY IN RECENT

MONTHS.

EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, BOLTON

APPEARED TO BE FALLING OUT OF

HIS FAVOR.

WE DIDN'T KNOW HE WOULD BE

REPLACED THIS SOON.

WE'LL DIG AROUND.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT JUST CAME OUT

AND SEE WHO IS TOPPING THE LIST.

CERTAINLY THE PRESIDENT HAS A

NUMBER OF CANDIDATES.

HE DOES FOR EVERY JOB OUT THERE.

>> ALL RIGHT.

NO DOUBT THIS WILL CONTINUE TO

UNFOLD FOR THE REST OF THE HOUR

HERE ON "OUTNUMBERED."