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| Democrats call for Bolton to testify in Trump impeachment trial after new report on aid to Ukraine | Democrats call for Bolton to testify in Trump impeachment trial after new report on aid to Ukraine |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Congressional Democrats called for former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in President Trump’s impeachment trial following a new report that the president told Bolton last August he wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless it aided investigations into the Bidens. | Congressional Democrats called for former national security adviser John Bolton to testify in President Trump’s impeachment trial following a new report that the president told Bolton last August he wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless it aided investigations into the Bidens. |
| The New York Times reported Sunday evening that in last summer’s conversation, Trump directly tied the holdup of nearly $400 million in military assistance to the investigations of former vice president Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden. That is according to an unpublished manuscript of Bolton’s forthcoming book, the Times said. | |
| In a joint statement, the seven House impeachment managers called the report “explosive” and urged the Senate, controlled by Republicans, to agree to call Bolton as a witness in Trump’s trial, which kicks off its second full week on Monday. Bolton has said he would testify before the Senate if subpoenaed. | In a joint statement, the seven House impeachment managers called the report “explosive” and urged the Senate, controlled by Republicans, to agree to call Bolton as a witness in Trump’s trial, which kicks off its second full week on Monday. Bolton has said he would testify before the Senate if subpoenaed. |
| “The Senate trial must seek the full truth and Mr. Bolton has vital information to provide,” the managers said in a statement Sunday. “There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published, when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision senators must now make — whether to convict the president of impeachable offenses.” | “The Senate trial must seek the full truth and Mr. Bolton has vital information to provide,” the managers said in a statement Sunday. “There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published, when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision senators must now make — whether to convict the president of impeachable offenses.” |
| Trump is on trial, facing two charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. | Trump is on trial, facing two charges — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. |
| Charles Cooper, a lawyer for Bolton, said he submitted the manuscript to the National Security Council’s records management division on Dec. 30 for a standard review process to examine potentially classified information. Cooper said they believed the book manuscript did not include any classified material, and that its contents would not be shared with officials outside that review process. | |
| “It is clear, regrettably, from The New York Times article published today that the prepublication review process has been corrupted and that information has been disclosed by persons other than those properly involved in reviewing the manuscript,” Cooper said in the statement. | |
| Sarah Tinsley, a spokeswoman for Bolton, added: “The ambassador has not passed the draft manuscript to anyone else. Period.” | |
| The assertion from Bolton could undermine one core defense that has repeatedly been laid out by Trump, his defenders and his legal team: That there was no explicit quid pro quo involved when the administration withheld the military assistance, as well as a White House visit coveted by Ukraine. | The assertion from Bolton could undermine one core defense that has repeatedly been laid out by Trump, his defenders and his legal team: That there was no explicit quid pro quo involved when the administration withheld the military assistance, as well as a White House visit coveted by Ukraine. |
| The White House has said Trump’s request for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens, as well as a discredited theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections, was because he was interested in rooting out corruption and that he did nothing improper. | The White House has said Trump’s request for Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Bidens, as well as a discredited theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections, was because he was interested in rooting out corruption and that he did nothing improper. |
| “John Bolton has the evidence. 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,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a tweet. | “John Bolton has the evidence. 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,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a tweet. |
| The revelation was certain to roil the dynamics of the trial this week, when the Senate was expected to face a critical vote on whether to allow witnesses at all. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and many Senate Republicans would prefer the Senate avoid witnesses, but at least four GOP senators are seen as potential votes for favoring more testimony: Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah) and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.). | The revelation was certain to roil the dynamics of the trial this week, when the Senate was expected to face a critical vote on whether to allow witnesses at all. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and many Senate Republicans would prefer the Senate avoid witnesses, but at least four GOP senators are seen as potential votes for favoring more testimony: Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Mitt Romney (Utah) and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.). |
| Romney and Collins have already indicated they are likely to support hearing from witnesses and getting more evidence, and Romney has also said he would like to hear from Bolton. | Romney and Collins have already indicated they are likely to support hearing from witnesses and getting more evidence, and Romney has also said he would like to hear from Bolton. |
| “The odds of deposition for new witnesses is certainly rising dramatically,” one senior Republican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly assess party dynamics, said Sunday evening after the publication of the Times report. | “The odds of deposition for new witnesses is certainly rising dramatically,” one senior Republican official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly assess party dynamics, said Sunday evening after the publication of the Times report. |
| Josh Dawsey and Tom Hamburger contributed to this report. |