Posted on 01/27/20
| News Source: Politico
But members of GOP leadership immediately sought to downplay the former national security adviser's revelations.
It’s “increasingly likely” that more Republicans will join calls to seek testimony from John Bolton in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, Sen. Mitt Romney said on Monday, with Bolton's new revelations throwing into doubt how Trump’s trial will proceed.
And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) — who has signaled that she is open to supporting witnesses, as she did in former President Bill Clinton's 1999 trial — said it will "strengthen the case" for witnesses. Still, members of GOP leadership immediately sought to downplay the Bolton news.
Just days ago, the Senate GOP appeared ready to defeat a vote to hear more witnesses sought by Democrats. But that dynamic appears shaken after Trump’s former national security adviser revealed in an upcoming book that Trump allegedly told him directly that he withheld aid to Ukraine because he wanted the country to investigate his political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden.
Senior Republicans and Democrats alike are unsure whether the president will still get a quick acquittal with no new witnesses before week’s end. Several top Republicans tried to dismiss the Bolton bombshell on Monday, calling it "nothing new" or similar to the late-stage allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior that rocked Brett Kavanaugh's nomination for the Supreme Court in 2018 but ultimately didn't tank it.
But Romney and Collins both believe the Bolton revelation could change the dynamic surrounding the trial.
“It's increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton. ... I have spoken with others who have opined upon this,” Romney (R-Utah) told reporters. “It’s important to be able to hear from John Bolton for us to be able to make an impartial judgment."
Romney added the caveat that he would still need to hear from the White House to make a final decision on whether to consider new witnesses, but he’s said all along that he wants to hear from Bolton. He also said he could not say that Bolton's testimony would determine whether he ultimately votes to acquit Trump or not. Read more at Politico