Bolton’s manuscript leaks may scramble Trump’s trial

Bloomberg

An explosive leak from former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s unpublished book that says President Donald Trump wanted to freeze aid to Ukraine until its government investigated his political rival threatens to scramble the politics of the impeachment trial and bring new pressure on Republicans to call witnesses.
Bolton’s account in the draft of his book, as described by the New York Times, fortifies the two central arguments made by Democrats in the trial: that Trump used the power of his office for political gain and that the senators urgently need to hear from witnesses the president blocked from testifying during the House inquiry.
The disclosure came as the president’s lawyers were preparing to deliver the meat of Trump’s defense when the trial reconvend on Monday. In an opening statement, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone argued that House impeachment managers had failed to prove their case, in part, because they had no firsthand evidence in charging Trump with abuse of power. He said the real aim of Democrats was to overturn the 2016 election and interfere in November’s ballot.
Bolton, who left the administration in September in disputes with Trump over policy, has that direct knowledge. He’s one of four current or former administration officials Democrats want to call as witnesses and has said he would testify if subpoenaed. His lawyer said previously that he has information that hasn’t been part of the public record.
“There can be no doubt now that Mr. Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the president’s defense and therefore must be called as a witness at the impeachment trial of President Trump,” the seven House impeachment managers, led by Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff, said in a joint statement.
Trump denied the allegations cited in Bolton’s draft in a tweet, adding that he released aid to Ukraine without any conditions.
“I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book,” he wrote.
Bolton’s account challenges one of the “key facts” that Trump attorney Michael Purpura outlined: that “not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting, or anything else.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how much the Bolton revelations could change the dynamic on the question of trial witnesses. Four Republicans would have to defy Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to join with all Democrats to call witnesses at the trial, and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer described getting that outcome as a “hard road.”
At least four GOP senators have expressed openness to hearing from witnesses, which could extend the trial by weeks, though they haven’t committed to a vote. Three GOP senators — Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — have said they’re considering voting to hear from new witnesses.
No Republicans have yet said that Trump has committed an impeachable offense. With 67 votes required to convict, the president’s acquittal remains all but assured. Still, the more important audience for Bolton’s revelations will be the voting public who will decide in November whether Trump should be re-elected.
The New York Times said Bolton has been circulating
a draft of the manuscript to
associates.