Will the Senate allow witness testimony during the Trump impeachment trial? As the president’s defense lawyers wound down their case on Tuesday, that question took center stage for Republicans.
And standing squarely in the spotlight was Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT).
Romney, no fan of the president, has made it clear that he wants to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton, who says he’ll testify if subpoenaed.
Romney says Bolton’s testimony would be “relevant” to the trial.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) also want testimony from Bolton and possibly other witnesses. So do all Senate Democrats.
“The trio has searched for a fourth crucial vote to win a majority, but up until Sunday, those appeals seemed to be going nowhere,” reports Politico.
That changed when the New York Times reported that in Bolton’s new book on his experience in the Trump White House, the president personally told him that hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid for Ukraine would be released only if the Ukrainian government announced it would investigate Trump’s rival Joe Biden and Biden’s son.
“Romney ‘made a strong pitch’ for witnesses during a closed-door lunch of Senate Republicans on Monday,” says Politico, citing “Republicans familiar with the meeting.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to delay that decision until later in the trial.
“But Romney is already making his move,” Politico says. “And though he serves on the Republican whip team, Romney is now effectively working against party leaders and arguing to colleagues that the proper way to test each side’s contention [about Trump] is to hear from people directly involved in the Ukraine saga.”
Some Republicans are “displeased” with Romney’s view, the political website says, including such influential figures as Sens. Jim Inhofe (OK), David Perdue (GA) and Rick Scott (FL).
Politico quotes a “senior administration official” as saying yes — Bolton’s book could hurt the GOP’s efforts to block witness testimony. But that official insisted that Romney’s position is not driven by the desire to hear Bolton’s testimony.
“He’s doing what he’s already doing. It’s personal” between him and Trump, the official said.
