Former White House National Security Adviser John Bolton on Monday said that if he’s subpoenaed by the Senate, he’ll testify in the impeachment trial against President Trump.
Bolton has been pursued by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, but Republicans in the Senate have suggested they could oppose Democrats’ call for witnesses.
‘[S]ince my testimony is once again at issue, I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,’ Bolton said in a statement posted to his Political Action Committee website.
“The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter,” Bolton said Monday. “It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts,” Bolton added.
In his own statement on Monday, Schumer said: “Momentum for uncovering the truth in a Senate trial continues. John Bolton correctly acknowledged that he needs to comply with a Senate subpoena to compel his testimony, if issued. It is now up to four Senate Republicans to support bringing in Mr. Bolton, and the other three witnesses, as well as the key documents we have requested to ensure all the evidence is presented at the onset of a Senate trial. Given that Mr. Bolton’s lawyers have stated he has new relevant information to share, if any Senate Republican opposes issuing subpoenas to the four witnesses and documents we have requested they would make absolutely clear they are participating in a cover up.”
Bolton was fired by by Trump in September.
“I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House,” Trump tweeted September 10. “I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning. I thank John very much for his service,” Trump wrote at Twitter.
Democrats had invited Bolton to testify during the House impeachment inquiry last month, but the House Intelligence Committee did issue a subpoena.
Schumer said Bolton has “direct knowledge of Administration decisions” and that his testimony would be key to the Senate trial. Schumer also proposed having acting White House Chief of Staff Mick-Mulvaney, his adviser, Robert Blair. and Office of Management and Budget official Michael Duffey testify in the trail.
The House approved two articles of impeachment against Trump last month — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to hand the articles to the Senate to begin a trial. Pelosi complained that she doesn’t think the Republican-controlled Senate will hold a fair trial.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said on Friday that Pelosi’s effort to control the Senate trial is a “fantasy.”
“Their turn is over. They’ve done enough damage. It’s the Senate’s turn now to render sober judgment,” McConnell said. “The same people who spent weeks screaming that impeachment was so urgent … now decided it could wait indefinitely while they check the political winds and look for some new talking points.”
Schumer complains that McConnell is ignoring “the only one precedent that matters here.”
“Never, never in the history of our country has there been an impeachment trial in which the Senate was denied the ability to hear from witnesses, yet the Republican leader seems intent on violating that precedent and denying critical evidence to this body and to the American people,” Schumer said, adding that McConnell has “no intention to be impartial.”
