John Bolton revelations roil Trump trial

Pressure mounted on Republicans on Monday to call former national security advisor John Bolton as a witness at Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial following explosive new revelations about the US president’s dealings with Ukraine.

As Clinton impeachment investigator Ken Starr resumed the White House defense of Trump on the Senate floor, at least three Republican senators indicated they would favor hearing testimony from the 71-year-old Bolton.

According to The New York Times, Bolton, in a draft of his upcoming book, says that Trump told him in August that he wanted to freeze military aid to Ukraine until Kiev opened an investigation into his potential November election rival Joe Biden.

The allegation that Trump withheld the aid for his own political purposes is at the heart of Trump’s impeachment by the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Four Republicans would need to join forces with Democrats in the Senate -- where Republicans hold a 53 to 47 seat edge -- to allow testimony from Bolton and other witnesses sought by Democrats.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah said he believed there may be enough Republican backing to compel Bolton to testify.

“It’s increasingly apparent that it would be important to hear from John Bolton,” Romney told reporters. “I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton.”

Susan Collins, a Republican senator from Maine, said the Bolton reports “strengthen the case for witnesses.”

Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said she has always been “curious as to what John Bolton might have to say.”

Chief Democratic prosecutor Adam Schiff welcomed the news that Republicans were considering calling Bolton to testify at what is just the third impeachment trial of a president in US history.

“You can’t have a trial, a meaningful trial, without witnesses and you certainly can’t have one without John Bolton,” Schiff said. “Senators should not wait until March 17 when the book comes out. They should demand this information while it would still be pertinent to their decision.”

While just 51 senators are required to allow further trial witnesses, 67 senators -- a twothirds majority -- are needed to remove Trump from office.

‘Age of impeachment’

Trump lashed out at Bolton on Twitter, denying he had ever told his former aide that military assistance to Ukraine was tied to Kiev investigating Biden or his son Hunter, who served on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.

“I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens,” Trump said.

“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.”

Speaking later to reporters, Trump said he had not yet seen the manuscript, which was submitted to the White House last month for security clearance.