As the allegations from former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s upcoming book reverberated through Washington, D.C., several Republicans shared how they feel the information could factor into the Senate’s impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that a draft manuscript of Bolton’s upcoming book says Trump tied the hold on military aid to Ukraine to an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden, as IJR has previously reported.
Senate Democrats have urged their Republican colleagues to join them in voting to subpoena Bolton as a witness in the trial. They would need four Republicans to get the simple majority required to call witnesses.
On Monday, it appeared that more Republican senators might be willing to subpoena Bolton in light of the new allegations in his book.
Speaking to reporters, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) —who has been considered a potential swing vote in the trial — said Bolton’s testimony is relevant and signaled that he would vote to subpoena Bolton. He also suggested that other Republican senators might vote for a subpoena as well.
“I think it’s increasingly likely that other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton,” Romney said.
See his comments below:
GOP @SenatorRomney tells @mkraju it's increasingly likely that more of his Republican colleagues will want to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton. pic.twitter.com/xKoas8odgZ
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) January 27, 2020
Another senator that is seen as a potential swing vote, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), said the reports on Bolton’s book “strengthen the case for witnesses and have prompted a number of conversations among my colleagues.”
Collins added that even before the trial began, she said she wanted to hear from new witnesses, “That has not changed.”
Meanwhile, other Republican senators appeared to be unphased by the reports on Bolton’s book.
“He’s trying to sell a book,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said, adding, “He has credibility problems too. I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t bet my house on his credibility, and if I were betting your house, it would just be a maybe.”
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) slammed the new reports as a “selective leak” and suggested that there was “nothing new.”
“We learned nothing new, nothing new,” Barrasso said. “What we’ve now seen is a selective leak from a book. This is like Kavanaugh all over again.”
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) also called the reports a leak.
“My first thought honestly was ‘oh isn’t this exquisite timing!’ But again, this is leaked information…I mean, who leaked this.”
But, he said he believes Bolton would be “honest.”
Several conservative commentators also slammed the reports and suggested Bolton was trying to fuel his book sales, as IJR has previously reported.