Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not know that President Donald Trump's administration had a copy of an explosive manuscript by ex-national security adviser John Bolton, a spokesman said.

And Kentucky's longtime senator, who has said he's in "total coordination" with the White House on the impeachment trial, reportedly isn't happy.

The New York Times reported Sunday that in his upcoming book, Bolton says Trump told him he did not want to release military aid to Ukraine until that country helped with investigations that could damage Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden.

Bolton's lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, told The Times he provided a copy of the book to the Trump administration on Dec. 30 to be reviewed for classified information.

A McConnell spokesman told The Courier Journal on Monday that the Senate majority leader "did not have any advance notice" that the National Security Council reportedly had a copy of Bolton's manuscript for weeks.

McConnell was among the Senate Republicans who were "angry at the White House" over the revelations about Bolton's manuscript, according to The Times.

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Mere hours before the impeachment trial was set to resume Monday, The Times reported, McConnell and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., privately pressed the president's advisers to explain Bolton's account, which undermines a White House defense of the president and which blindsided several GOP senators, according to people familiar with their thinking.

Trump refuted Bolton's account, tweeting out early Monday morning: "I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens."

CNN's John King said Monday that McConnell is the "leader in the middle of something incredibly delicate who does not like to be blindsided" and that he has questions for the White House.

Behind closed doors for a luncheon Monday, McConnell told his colleagues to "take a deep breath and let's take one step at a time," Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told reporters.

Meanwhile, McConnell's fellow Kentucky Republican senator, Rand Paul, suggested in an interview with the Washington Examiner on Monday that Bolton was trying to use the attention he's getting as a potential witness to make more money off his forthcoming book.

The state's junior senator called Bolton a "disgruntled, angry man" who should be taken with a grain of salt.

"He wants to sell a book," Paul said of Bolton, according to the Examiner.

Trump's alleged participation in a quid pro quo with Ukraine is at the center of the impeachment trial that began this month in the Senate, and whether to call witnesses — including Bolton — to testify has been a contentious issue.

As Senate majority leader, McConnell has influence over what happens with the trial, and he has expressed skepticism about the need to have additional witness testimony during the proceedings.

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McConnell said on Dec. 12 that he would be in "total coordination with the White House counsel" as the impeachment process moved forward. According to The Times, the White House received a copy of the manuscript 18 days later. The House delivered two articles of impeachment to the Senate a little more than two weeks later.

To call witnesses, Democrats need at least four members of the 53-member Republican majority to vote with them. One possible defector, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told reporters Monday that “it's important to be able to hear from John Bolton for us to be able to make an impartial judgment."

“It's increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton. ... I have spoken with others who have opined upon this,” Romney said.

Another potential swing vote, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement Monday that "the reports about John Bolton's book strengthen the case for witnesses and have prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues."

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Reporter Phillip M. Bailey contributed to this report. Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-582-4181 or follow on Twitter @TobinBen. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: subscribe.courier-journal.com.