Do You Want the Senate to Call John Bolton to Testify in Trump's Impeachment Trial?

by Countable's Trump Impeachment Coverage | 1.31.20

What’s the story?

• President Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton alleges in his forthcoming book that the president explicitly told him $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine was conditioned on investigations into Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden, according to ongoing reporting from the New York Times.
• Lead House impeachment manager Adam Schiff (D-CA) used his opening remarks on Friday to address the recent Times report, headlined: Trump Told Bolton to Help His Ukraine Pressure Campaign, Book Says.
• "Just as we predicted, and it didn't require any great act of clairvoyance, the facts will come out. They will continue to come out. And the question before you today is whether they will come out in time for you to make a complete and informed judgment as to the guilt or innocence of the president," Schiff said.
• Schiff added:

"So here you have the president saying John Bolton is not telling the truth. Let's find out. Let's put John Bolton under oath. Let's find out who is telling the truth. A trial is supposed to be a quest for the truth. Let's not fear what we will learn.”

What are people saying?

New York Times:

"More than two months before he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political opponents, President Trump directed John R. Bolton, then his national security adviser, to help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton."

Trump:

Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), a potential swing vote on calling witnesses, told reporters he’ll vote “no”:

• “I do not believe that additional witnesses are needed."

“I have said consistently for the past four months, since the Zelensky transcript was first released, that I believe that some of the president’s actions in this case – including asking a foreign country to investigate a potential political opponent and the delay of aid to Ukraine – were wrong and inappropriate. But I do not believe that the president’s actions rise to the level of removing a duly-elected president from office and taking him off the ballot in the middle of an election."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY):

What do you think?

Do you want the Senate to call John Bolton to testify? Take action and tell your senators, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman