Bolton’s bombshell

Former Trump adviser’s book reportedly backs up allegations

US President Donald Trump told his national security adviser he wanted to maintain a freeze on military assistance to Ukraine until it launched political investigations into his Democratic rivals, according to John Bolton’s description of their exchange in drafts of his upcoming book, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The revelation challenges the defence offered up by Mr Trump and his attorneys in his

Senate impeachment trial and raises the stakes as the chamber decided this week whether to seek sworn testimony from Mr Bolton and other witnesses.

Mr Bolton, who acrimoniously left the White House a day before Mr Trump ultimately released the Ukraine aid on September 11, has already told lawmakers he is willing to testify, despite the President’s order barring aides from cooperating in the probe.

Democrats need at least four Republicans to vote with them to seek witness testimony.

Those prospects looked unlikely in recent days and it’s unclear if the new revelations about Mr Bolton’s book will sway any GOP senators.

Democrats quickly sought to ramp up the pressure on their Republican counterparts.

“John Bolton has the evidence,” tweeted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “It’s up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump’s actions testify in the Senate trial.”

A person familiar with the matter said Mr Bolton’s book had been submitted to the White House for pre-publication review, which is standard for the work of former officials with security clearances. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject.

Democrats accuse Mr Trump of abuse of power in withholding the military assistance to Ukraine to push that country to mount investigations into Democrats, including former vice-president Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukraine gas company Burisma while his father was in office.