Mitch McConnell Says He Doesn’t Have the Votes To Block Witnesses In The Senate

Fox News had more:

The White House’s plans for a speedy impeachment trial were thrown into doubt Tuesday with Senate Republicans floating competing proposals on how to deal with new explosive revelations from ex-national security adviser John Bolton -- and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell telling Republicans he doesn’t yet have enough votes to block the calling of impeachment witnesses.

GOP senators were all over the map on Tuesday as President Trump’s defense team called Bolton’s manuscript “inadmissible” and warned against opening the door to new wild-card information in the ongoing trial. Democrats have repeatedly called for Bolton to testify.

A source with knowledge of McConnell’s comments confirmed to Fox Business that the Kentucky Republican told people in a private meeting Tuesday that the GOP did not have the votes to block impeachment witnesses. A second source stressed that McConnell said he didn’t yet have the votes, with other sources saying Senate GOP leadership didn’t think the fight was over, and conversations were ongoing. The Wall Street Journal first reported McConnell’s comments.

Later Tuesday night, a Senate leadership source told Fox News that Republicans were assessing the viability of two alternative options, in the event there is majority support for additional witnesses. "Plan B," the source said, is to amend any resolution calling for a particular witness to also include a package of witnesses that wouldn't win enough support of the Senate. For example, if the Democrats seek to call Bolton, Republicans might seek to question Hunter Biden or Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., over his panel's contacts with the whistleblower.

That proposal could afford moderate Republicans the political cover of voting in favor of witnesses, while ultimately rejecting a witness package.

Additonally, the White House retains the option to exert executive privilege to block witnesses, including Bolton, the source emphasized. That might end up in a court battle, and could prove dicey if Bolton opts to defy the White House's assertion of privilege.

Meanwhile, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., called for Bolton’s unpublished manuscript to be made available for senators to read in a classified Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) to understand what Bolton was alleging. His proposal got an ally in influential Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who called the idea a “reasonable solution.”

Some senators suggested that Bolton just spill the beans in a news conference on the sidelines of the impeachment trial.

“The Wall Street Journal has called for John to just come forward -- just tell the public what you know,” Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said. “I think that actually [would] be a smart thing. I’d encourage John to do that without involving the trial.”

The creative suggestions came after The New York Times reported Bolton’s manuscript included a claim that Trump explicitly linked a hold on military aid to Ukraine to an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Trump told Bolton in August, according to a transcript of Bolton’s forthcoming book reviewed by The Times, “that he wanted to continue freezing $391 million in security assistance to Ukraine until officials there helped with investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens.”

The stunning leak -- which Johnson called “suspicious” -- has allowed House impeachment managers to ramp up their calls for Bolton to testify. The Democrats warned that if Senate Republicans quashed witnesses, they’d engage in a “cover-up,” especially since they said the book eventually would come out.

That left some Republicans searching for an off-ramp that would allow Bolton’s allegations to air out while not derailing the entire Senate impeachment trial. A Bolton news conference or a manuscript reading seemed like two potential middle grounds floated Tuesday.

Other senators, including Pat Toomey, R-Pa., re-upped the idea of witness reciprocity as a way to hear from Bolton but also gain testimony from Hunter Biden or Joe Biden in return. But, Democrats have repeatedly shut down making any deals with the GOP for any of the Bidens, saying the father and son were just a distraction from charges against the president.