Nadler Says The House Will Likely Subpoena John Bolton Next

Here's more, from the NY Mag:

On the very day that the U.S. Senate is expected to acquit President Trump in his impeachment trial, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler said investigations into Trump’s pressure campaign against Ukraine will continue. And a key part of those investigations will involve issuing a subpoena to Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton, Nadler told reporters.

Democrats have long wanted to hear from Bolton regarding the Ukraine saga, but their interest increased last week when the New York Timesreported on claims Bolton makes in a forthcoming book. In the book, Bolton writes that Trump explicitly told him that congressionally appropriated military aid to Ukraine was being held up to force an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden.

READ MORE:  Are These Anti-Trumpers Demon-Possessed? [WARNING: graphic content]

Bolton’s claim is important, but not because it proves anything about Trump’s Ukraine scheme. That has already been established by Trump’s public statements, the admission of his chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and the testimony of many other administration officials. Bolton, however, is the first person to claim that Trump flatly told him that the aid was being withheld in exchange for the investigations. His testimony would blow up the central argument made by Trump’s defense.

“Not a single witness testified that the president himself said that there was any connection between any investigations and security assistance, a presidential meeting or anything else,” Trump lawyer Mike Purpura said last week.

Meanwhile, Politico reports Pelosi says she has no "immediate" plans to do so:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday signaled Democrats have no immediate plans to summon former national security adviser John Bolton for testimony — but she made clear the House would not abandon its investigations into President Donald Trump despite him being acquitted in his impeachment trial.

Pelosi pointed to a slew of ongoing legal battles against Trump — including to obtain his tax returns and a long-ignored subpoena related to Robert Mueller’s probe — that are still moving through the courts.

Advertisement

But she said there are “no plans right now” to begin a fight over Bolton.

“We will continue to do our oversight to protect and defend the Constitution,” Pelosi told reporters at her weekly news conference.

“We have some cases in court now,” Pelosi said. “If there are others we see as an opportunity, we’ll make a judgment at that time, but we have no plans right now.”

Bolton’s fate has been one of the biggest lingering questions for Democrats after the Senate concluded its three-week impeachment trial this week.

New revelations from Bolton’s upcoming book tying Trump closer to the Ukraine scandal threatened to upend the trial, but Senate Republicans defeated a Democratic push for witnesses and the GOP stood firmly behind Trump.

Most Democrats say they want to hear what Bolton has to say. But some are also wary of launching a new chapter of investigations just as they’ve closed one and believe they must tread carefully as the November election approaches.

Even if Democrats do nothing, Bolton’s book is set to be released on March 17 unless the White House blocks it — potentially dragging the caucus back to the subject after the Senate trial.

House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler told reporters on Wednesday that Democrats “will likely” subpoena Bolton. But other top Democrats have been more cautious in their answers.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said this week that the House’s investigative panels will evaluate whether “there is still relevant information that needs to be uncovered.”

“The committees may well want to hear from him,” Hoyer said, when asked about a potential Bolton subpoena. “But they’re going to make that decision. We’re going to have discussions about it.”