As GOP senators try to block Democrats from calling witnesses in the impeachment trial and vow to quickly acquit the president, former national security adviser John Bolton has made a major revelation that could derail that strategy.
Bolton revealed in a manuscript that Trump told him as early as August 2019 that he wanted to continue freezing the military and security assistance to Ukraine until they could get officials to go after the Biden family, The New York Times reports.
Citing excerpts from the document, New York Times reported Sunday that the $391 million in aid to Ukraine was contingent on Ukraine officials agreeing to help “with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens.”
As note by the report, “The president’s statement as described by Mr. Bolton could undercut a key element of his impeachment defense: that the holdup in aid was separate from Mr. Trump’s requests that Ukraine announce investigations into his perceived enemies, including former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and his son Hunter Biden, who had worked for a Ukrainian energy firm while his father was in office.”
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The report comes days before the Senate is set to vote on whether to call various witnesses, including John Bolton.
Republicans have thus far refused to allow witnesses to speak in the impeachment trial.
The report said that Bolton’s manuscript was sent to the White House to undergo a review process typical of past White House officials. Bolton took several dozens of pages to outline how the Ukraine incident unfolded. He also recalled the president’s hatred of Ukraine, detailing the ways in which Trump would trash the country in front of staff.”
You can read the full report here.
