Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) on Monday became the first Republican senator to state that he would like John Bolton, former White House national security advisor, to testify at the Senate impeachment trial if subpoenaed.
“I would like to be able to hear from John Bolton. What the process is to make that happen, I don’t have an answer for you,” Romney told reporters on Capitol Hill when asked whether he would be open to hearing from Bolton.
In a posted statement, Bolton said that if called to do so at a Senate trial, “I am prepared to testify.”
As a key adviser to Trump, Bolton was close to the president’s dealings with Ukraine. The House of Representatives last month charged Trump with two articles of impeachment stemming from an alleged effort to pressure the Eastern European nation into launching a politically motivated investigation of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Sanders under fire for propping up Platner as Dems torch his toxic endorsement ‘pattern’
WATCH: Dr. Oz says Newsom, other blue states have turned Medicaid fraud into a ‘feature’
Tyler Robinson hearing: Top moments from explosive Lance Twiggs interview played in court
Florida man who contacted police about 1987 killing arrested in connection to cold case
Dramatic bodycam video captures NYPD officer rescuing woman from top of Brooklyn Bridge after emotional plea
Queens man arrested with Molotov cocktails after alleged arson attacks on Ozone Park and Woodhaven churches
Eight indicted over plan to attack White House UFC fight with drones and snipers
Israel shares intelligence warning Iran plotted new assassination attempt against Trump: report
Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase Consider Teaming Up for Scheme to Extract Higher Card Transaction Fees
Robinson’s Alleged Kirk Assassination Rifle and Chilling Messages on Bullet Casings Shown in Court
DHS plans costly crackdown on states that don’t cooperate on election security
Damning Tyler Robinson letter accidentally flashed during Charlie Kirk murder hearing
White House drapes tarps while completing Trump’s newest construction project
Disturbing Video: Texas Cop Tells Preacher She Is Going to Ticket Him for Speech That Offends ‘Pride’ Event Goers
Incredible Video: Hero NYPD Officer Rescues Distressed Woman from Jumping Off Brooklyn Bridge
Bolton said during the impeachment hearings he would not testify before the House Intelligence Committee unless he was first subpoenaed by the committee and then ordered by a judge to defy Trump’s wishes by appearing before Congress.
The legal and constitutional struggle over Bolton’s possible House testimony went unresolved, he noted in his statement. Bolton said:
The House has concluded its constitutional responsibility by adopting articles of impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. 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.
Accordingly, since 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’s statement comes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reaffirmed he has no plans to invite four current and former White House officials to testify as part of the trial, despite demands from his minority counterpart, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has refused to send the impeachment articles to the Senate, claiming those on Schumer’s witness list must be heard to ensure a “fair” trial.
Sanders under fire for propping up Platner as Dems torch his toxic endorsement ‘pattern’
WATCH: Dr. Oz says Newsom, other blue states have turned Medicaid fraud into a ‘feature’
Tyler Robinson hearing: Top moments from explosive Lance Twiggs interview played in court
Florida man who contacted police about 1987 killing arrested in connection to cold case
Dramatic bodycam video captures NYPD officer rescuing woman from top of Brooklyn Bridge after emotional plea
Queens man arrested with Molotov cocktails after alleged arson attacks on Ozone Park and Woodhaven churches
Eight indicted over plan to attack White House UFC fight with drones and snipers
Israel shares intelligence warning Iran plotted new assassination attempt against Trump: report
Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase Consider Teaming Up for Scheme to Extract Higher Card Transaction Fees
Robinson’s Alleged Kirk Assassination Rifle and Chilling Messages on Bullet Casings Shown in Court
DHS plans costly crackdown on states that don’t cooperate on election security
Damning Tyler Robinson letter accidentally flashed during Charlie Kirk murder hearing
White House drapes tarps while completing Trump’s newest construction project
Disturbing Video: Texas Cop Tells Preacher She Is Going to Ticket Him for Speech That Offends ‘Pride’ Event Goers
Incredible Video: Hero NYPD Officer Rescues Distressed Woman from Jumping Off Brooklyn Bridge
“We’ve heard it claimed that the same House Democrats who botched their own process should get to reach over here into the Senate and dictate our process,” McConnell said in a blistering floor speech last week.
The Republican added:
Let me clarify Senate rules and Senate history for those who may be confused. First, about this fantasy that the Speaker of the House will get to hand-design the trial proceedings in the Senate, that’s obviously a non-starter.
“The House went ahead without witnesses, and they didn’t pursue the witnesses in court,” he has said of the request. “They just blew right through that and accused the president of doing something improper by simply invoking executive privilege, which every president has done.”
Story cited here.
