Dems renew call for Bolton
Impeachment defense could be undermined
A published report on a book by former national security adviser John Bolton has the seven Democratic House impeachment case managers renewing their calls to have Bolton testify in the trial of President Donald Trump.
The book reportedly tells of a direct conversation between Trump and Bolton about withholding aid to Ukraine, a revelation that could undermine the defense the president’s attorneys now are presenting.
Bolton has said recently that he would be willing to come to the trial, if subpoenaed.
Trump denied the report Monday on Twitter, saying the tale was only crafted to sell books.
Democrats ratcheted up their demands that former national security adviser John Bolton testify in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump after The New York Times published a report Sunday that said Trump told Bolton he wished to withhold military aid in order to pressure Ukraine into helping with politically motivated investigations.
In his upcoming book, Bolton writes that Trump directly and explicitly told him in August that he wished to withhold the $391 million in military aid to Ukraine that Congress had appropriated until officials there turned over documents related to the 2016 election and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Times reported, citing people who had seen the manuscript.
Bolton’s book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” is set for publication March 17, according to Amazon. The listing was added to the retailer’s website Sunday after the Times report, CNN reported.
Trump’s impeachment trial on articles of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress is centered on that withholding of aid and his refusal to allow current and former officials, such as Bolton, to testify in the impeachment inquiry.
The president has denied the charges, and he repeated his denial in response to the Times report in a series of tweets early Monday.
“I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” Trump tweeted. “In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book.”
On Saturday, Trump’s legal team opened its defense of the president in the Senate trial. Bolton’s claim would appear to undercut two of their key arguments: that Trump’s order to delay the funds was not about the investigations and that no one has directly tied him to any such scheme.
“There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the president’s defense and therefore must be called as a witness at the impeachment trial of President Trump,” the seven Democratic House impeachment managers said in a joint statement responding to the report.
During the House impeachment inquiry, Bolton said he would not appear as a witness unless directed by a judge. But earlier this month, he said he was “prepared to testify” if the Senate issued him a subpoena. The impeachment managers said the Senate should “insist” on Bolton being subpoenaed following the report, specifically to provide notes and documents.
It is unknown whether enough Republicans would join with Democrats to call for more additional witnesses or documents or how the Times report might influence their positions.