Former White House national security adviser John Bolton announced Monday that he would be willing to testify in the Senate impeachment trial against President Trump should he be subpoenaed.
“The House has concluded its Constitutional responsibility by adopting Articles of Impeachment related to the Ukraine matter. It now falls to the Senate to fulfill its Constitutional obligation to try impeachments, and it does not appear possible that a final judicial resolution of the still-unanswered Constitutional questions can be obtained before the Senate acts,” Bolton said in a statement.
“I have had to resolve the serious competing issues as best I could, based on careful consideration and study. I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify,” the former senior Trump adviser concluded.
Bolton, known for his hawkish stance on foreign policy, was ousted as national security advisor in September after finding himself at odds with several other members of the administration, although he argued he had resigned before he was fired.
The Republican majority in the Senate is not currently planning to call on Bolton to testify in the upcoming trial.
The House last month passed two articles of impeachment against Trump, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, relating to accusations that the president engaged in a quid pro quo with the Ukrainian government involving U.S. military aid and the Ukrainian president’s agreement to publicly announce an investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has since then refused to send the articles over to the Senate until Democrats receive assurances of a fair trial in the upper chamber, which could include a concession from Republicans to call witnesses like Bolton. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has so far shown no appetite to negotiate with Democrats on the trial process, however.