John Bolton was Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor until September 10, 2019. – E.VUCCI / SIPA
After the Christmas break, the arm wrestling of impeachment resumes. While Nancy Pelosi is playing poker and still hasn’t passed on Senate indictments, Donald Trump’s former advisor, John Bolton, said he was ready to testify on Monday if he was called. The surprise announcement will put pressure on moderate Republican senators: the Senate should indeed be asked to vote whether or not to allow new witnesses to be heard during the trial.
“If the Senate adopted an injunction to obtain my testimony, I would be ready to testify,” Bolton said in a statement he posted on Twitter. Earlier, he said he wanted to wait for the courts to act as arbitrators on subpoenas, when the White House ordered his employees to boycott them.
Bolton opposed to a “swindle” on Ukraine
Sacked on September 10 due to disagreements with Donald Trump, John Bolton, former White House national security adviser, is of great interest to the Democratic opposition behind the impeachment proceedings against the Republican billionaire. She believes the former adviser could provide information on the pressure exerted by the White House to force Ukraine to investigate one of the President’s rivals, Joe Biden, and in particular the blocking of close military aid of $ 400 million.
According to leaks published in the American media, John Bolton had distanced himself, loudly asserting at a meeting that he “did not want to be linked to this scheme” on Ukraine. He is also said to have compared Donald Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who was looking in Kiev for compromising information about Joe Biden’s son of “the grenade disguised”.
Eyes on four Republican senators
During the holidays, negotiations have not progressed between the boss of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, and the democrat Chuck Schumer on the rules of the future trial. The Democrats want to hear from four witnesses, including John Bolton and Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, which the Republicans refuse.
During the Bill Clinton trial, it was a vote in the Senate that resolved the question of hearing witnesses. Minority Democrats need the support of four Republicans to obtain an injunction. Three seem to be ready: Mitt Romney, who said he was “troubled” by the actions of Donald Trump, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, who had voted against their party to save Obama’s health care reform. In the event of a 50-50 vote, it will not be Vice President Mike Pence who will act as arbitrators, but the head of the Supreme Court who will preside over the proceedings. The suspense therefore remains intact.
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