Bolton willing to testify before Senate
WASHINGTON – John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser, said Monday that he is “prepared to testify” in a Senate impeachment trial – if he’s subpoenaed by the GOP-controlled chamber.
“I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” Bolton said in a statement Monday.
Bolton’s unexpected statement – coming after he has played coy for weeks about what he knows and whether he would dish on Trump – plays into the hands of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Democrats.
If Senate Republicans now refuse to subpoena Bolton and other witnesses, “they would make absolutely clear they are participating in a cover-up,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said shortly after Bolton issued his statement.
Democrats want Bolton to testify, hoping he would be a bombshell witness in their case against Trump, which accuses the president of soliciting interference from Ukraine in the 2020 presidential election. Bolton has hinted that he could offer new details about the Ukraine pressure campaign.
He was “personally involved in many of the events, meetings, and conversations about which you have already received testimony,” his lawyer said in a November letter to House Democrats, “as well as many relevant meetings and conversations that have not yet been discussed in the testimonies thus far.”
On Monday, Bolton said he has tried to balance his obligations “as a citizen and as former National Security Adviser,” portraying himself as torn between a presidential directive not to testify and a desire to comply with a congressional request for information.
But skeptics questioned the sincerity of Bolton’s offer, saying the Republicanrun Senate is unlikely to call any witnesses.
The House impeached Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstructing Congress in a historic vote on Dec. 18. Pelosi has not yet sent the two articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial; she’s holding them back as leverage in her effort to pressure Republicans to call new witnesses during a Senate trial.
In November, Bolton defied a request from Democrats leading the House inquiry to testify. At the time, Bolton’s lawyer told lawmakers he would take the impeachment committee to court if it subpoenaed him.
House Democrats decided not to subpoena Bolton during their probe, arguing it would delay their investigation with a protracted court battle; instead, they labeled Bolton’s refusal to appear as evidence of obstruction.
Since the House vote, Schumer has pushed for summoning four witnesses who did not testify during the House inquiry, including Bolton and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has balked at calling any witnesses, pushing for a quick trial that would lead to Trump’s acquittal. Republicans have criticized Pelosi for refusing to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate, saying they have not yet been able to organize the trial.