WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (KUNA) -- US House impeachment managers called for former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
The call, made Sunday, followed a new report revealed that the president told Bolton last August that he wanted to withhold military aid to Ukraine to probe into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
The New York Times reported Sunday that "President Trump told his national security adviser in August that he wanted to continue freezing USD 391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats including the Bidens," according to an unpublished manuscript of Bolton's forthcoming book.
In a joint statement, the seven House impeachment managers wrote "Senators should insist that Mr. Bolton be called as a witness, and provide his notes and other relevant documents." They added "the Senate trial must seek the full truth and Mr. Bolton has vital information to provide.
"There is no defensible reason to wait until his book is published, when the information he has to offer is critical to the most important decision senators must now make - whether to convict the president of impeachable offenses," they stressed.
For his part, Bolton's lawyer, Charles Cooper said in a statement "it is clear, regrettably, from The New York Times article published today that the prepublication review process has been corrupted and that information has been disclosed by persons other than those properly involved in reviewing the manuscript." For his part, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer tweeted "John Bolton has the evidence. It's up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump's actions testify in the Senate trial." Furthermore, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted "the President blocked our request for Bolton's testimony. Now we see why: Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the President's defense.
"If the trial is to be fair, Senators must insist that Mr. Bolton be called as a witness, and provide his notes and other documents," she demanded. Trump has been accused of conditioning US foreign aid to Ukraine in return for the latter government's investigation into his main political rival, Biden, who is also a Democratic presidential candidate.
The Senate began last week the impeachment trial of Trump over accusations of abusing power and obstructing the Congress. The Senate is expected to vote this week on whether or not to allow calling new witnesses or documents.
Republican Senators will have the final say on the proceedings as they make up the majority and can vote to end the trial at any time. (end) si.nhq