GOP OPTIMISTIC ON BLOCKING WITNESSES
Heinrich, Udall both submitted questions during today’s session
Sens. Heinrich, Udall both submit questions during today’s Q&A session at President Trump’s trial.
WASHINGTON — Former national security adviser John Bolton loomed large in Democratic senators’ inquiries during the question-and-answer phase of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial Wednesday, but Republicans are increasingly confident that they will have the votes to rebuff calls to subpoena him and other witnesses by the end of the week.
The key question now facing the Senate is whether to move toward an acquittal vote — which some GOP leaders say could take place as early as Friday — or vote to hear additional testimony from Bolton and perhaps others.
It is a question that grew more difficult after the disclosure this week of new allegations in Bolton’s upcoming book. Bolton reportedly writes that Trump told him he would not release nearly $400 million in U.S. aid to
Ukraine until it opened investigations into a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden. That strikes at the heart of the House’s impeachment of Trump.
Rep. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., lead House impeachment manager, warned Republicans they would risk embarrassment if they declined to hear Bolton’s story, only to find that his book — due out in March — reveals incriminating information about Trump.
“Don’t wait until March 17 when it is in black and white,” he said.
Bolton was the topic of at least eight questions senators asked of both Trump’s lawyers and the House impeachment managers on Wednesday, the first of a two-day marathon Q&A session.
But several Republicans indicated Wednesday that they see no need to hear from Bolton, particularly because he refused to testify in the House impeachment inquiry and was not subpoenaed.
Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, predicted that Republicans will have the votes to defeat Democrats’ demand for witnesses and suggested Trump’s acquittal could come the same day.
“The momentum is clearly in the direction of moving to final judgment on Friday,” he said.
New Mexico Democrat Martin Heinrich asked the president’s counsel when it was first learned that the Bolton manuscript had been submitted to the White House for review and “has the president’s counsel or anyone else in the White House attempted in any way to prohibit, block, disapprove or discourage John Bolton or his publisher from publishing his book?”
Pat Philibin of the president’s team said the National Security Council was still reviewing the manuscript, but parts were classified top secret and should not be published.
Heinrich’s colleague, Tom Udall, asked the House impeachment managers to address the president’s defense team’s argument that the decision to remove the president should be decided in the 2020 presidential election.
“What the founders had in mind is that if the president commits high crimes and misdemeanors, you must remove him from office. It is not voiding the last election; it is protecting the next election,” Schiff replied.
Democrats would need to persuade four Republicans to cross the aisle and vote with them to subpoena witnesses and start a debate over who should testify.
“We’ve always said this is an uphill fight,” said Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. “But I am hopeful we can get witnesses and documents.”
Although two Republicans — Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine — have indicated they are likely to want to hear from Bolton, it is unclear whether there will be two additional GOP votes. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a third potential vote for witnesses, met with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Wednesday morning, but did not disclose her position.