Among all the witnesses considered in the Senate impeachment trial, Sen. Mitt Romney, and a number moderate Republicans, are eager to hear from former national security adviser John Bolton.
The development comes after portions from Bolton’s upcoming book The Room Where It Happened leaked, specifically excerpts where Bolton claims that President Trump did withhold military aid from Ukraine, hoping to pressure President Zelensky to investigate the Bidens.
According to Townhall:
Having read the report, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) believes that the jurors should be given the chance to hear from Bolton himself. A few of his colleagues followed, including Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who released a statement sounding more confident than ever that she’ll vote in favor of hearing more witnesses. Other moderates are still on the fence. The Senate will have a chance to vote follow the White House defense team’s opening arguments and a 16-hour round of questions on each side.
Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who in January took over the Senate seat left vacant by retiring Sen. Johnny Isakson, directly tagged Romney on Twitter and accused him of “appeasing the left” and acting for the cameras.
After 2 weeks, it’s clear that Democrats have no case for impeachment. Sadly, my colleague @SenatorRomney wants to appease the left by calling witnesses who will slander the @realDonaldTrump during their 15 minutes of fame. The circus is over. It’s time to move on! #gapol
— Senator Kelly Loeffler (@SenatorLoeffler) January 27, 2020
Before she was sworn in to the Senate, President Trump shared his concerns about Loeffler and reportedly wanted Rep. Doug Collins to fill the vacant seat instead. Yet, Loeffler has been squarely on the president’s side during the trial, telling the Democrats last week that they already lost their case in the House.
Other Republican senators interested in hearing Bolton’s testimony include Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), and possibly Ron Johnson (WI).
Johnson, a Tea Party favorite from the 2010 cycle, said that he guesses Bolton is telling the truth but called the leak “exquisite timing.” He has not responded to follow-up questions if Bolton should be subpoenaed.
(Video H/T PBS NewsHour)