Former US National Security Advisor to the President, John Bolton, expressed his willingness to testify in the Senate as part of the impeachment procedure of Donald Trump.
“Since the possibility of giving testimony is again being discussed, I had to sort out the complex and controversial issues as carefully as possible. Having carefully considered and studied everything, I came to the conclusion that if the Senate sends me a summons, I’m ready to testify, ”Bolton said in a statement.
To date, the ex-adviser has refused to speak as a witness at the hearing.
"Act in fairness"
Recall that the Democrats accuse Donald Trump of “abusing his official powers to obtain personal and political benefits to the detriment of national security”. The reason for the claims was a telephone conversation with President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.
- U.S. Senate meeting
- globallookpress.com
- © Michael Brochstein / ZUMAPRESS.com
According to the allegations, the US president allegedly suspended the allocation of $ 391 million in military assistance to Kiev, forcing Zelensky to launch an investigation into the activities of former US Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter in Ukraine. At the same time, Biden Sr. is a possible opponent of Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The House of Representatives approved the articles of impeachment on these charges on December 18. At the time of the conversation between Zelensky and Trump, John Bolton served as adviser to the US president on national security, which means that, as the Democrats believe, he may have important information about the "freezing" of military assistance to Ukraine.
Earlier, Bolton, like a number of other White House employees and Trump team members, refused to participate in congressional committee hearings in November. He also refused to act as a witness and. about. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney.
Despite the fact that the charges were confirmed more than three weeks ago, Democratic leader in the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi still has not sent them to the Senate, which should start the trial. Pelosi attributes his actions to the fact that Senate-controlled Republicans, in her opinion, will not call and question witnesses, including Bolton, which in turn will not allow for an impartial trial.
So, the leader of the Senate majority, Mitch McConnell, for his part, clearly indicated that immediately after the articles of impeachment were submitted to the Senate, he would order to proceed to the first stage of the trial - the opening statements of the parties - without waiting for a decision regarding the testimony. He explained this by the precedent set during the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998.
“What was acceptable in relation to President Clinton should be acceptable in relation to President Trump. We need to act in fairness, ”McConnell quoted The Washington Post as saying.
"Discredits himself"
Among other things, analysts point out that the situation may be further complicated by the difficult relationship between John Bolton and the Trump administration. Recall, Bolton was dismissed from his post as presidential adviser on national security on September 10.
Trump justified this decision by disagreeing with Bolton's proposals in the field of international relations, and also said that the ex-adviser "made very big mistakes."
- Donald Trump and John Bolton
- © NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP
“He did not find a common language with the people in the administration, whom I consider very important,” Trump noted.
In October, the American media reported that John Bolton allegedly plans to write a book about his work in the Trump administration, in which he analyzes both the personal qualities of the 45th president of the United States and his political course.
The media also reported that Bolton has repeatedly criticized the foreign policy of the Trump administration during closed seminars and meetings in which he participated as a speaker. In addition, in November, Bolton expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the White House, restricting the ex-adviser’s access to his Twitter account - this resource Bolton used during his work. The politician suggested that restrictions could be related to the fact that “he has something to say.”
At the same time, political scientists believe that Bolton’s decision to testify is dictated mainly by his personal motives. An expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Blokhin in a conversation with RT suggested that the former adviser intends to "avenge Trump" for dismissal.
“However, this only discredits himself. Bolton is ready to do everything to get extra points from the elite, but he will get a traitor label, which at the first convenient opportunity merges information on those with whom he worked. It’s possible that Bolton will try to throw Trump off the political Olympus, but he is unlikely to succeed because the Republicans control the Senate, ”the expert explained.
A similar view is shared by HSE professor Alexander Domrin.
“John Bolton is well aware that his dismissal is justified, because he could not solve the problem of Iran and Venezuela, where he actively supported the coup, which did not end there. Nevertheless, he clearly would like to take the post of Assistant Trump for National Security longer, ”the political scientist explained.
At the same time, Konstantin Blokhin believes that Bolton’s testimony is unlikely to be taken seriously, because "everyone in the US understands that he is now trying to revenge Trump." Although Democrats rely heavily on Bolton as a valuable witness, the data provided to them will not play a decisive role in the impeachment process.
“Bolton will make a lot of noise, respectively, Trump will once again be harmed, but it will not lead to impeachment, because the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans, will not commit political suicide and will not remove the president from power. In addition, the Republican Party is now very much hoping that Trump will be able to get elected for a second term, ”said the expert.
At the same time, according to Alexander Domrin, the Republicans need to carefully approach the selection of witnesses for the impeachment process and make sure that all these politicians can come up with the positions they need.
“Now the hearings will be held in the Senate, in which the trump party has the advantage. If the Republicans are sure that Bolton is on their side, they will invite him. The main thing for them now is to summon all the "muddy" characters who testified or perjured against Trump in the first stage of the impeachment procedure. John Bolton may also be among them, despite the fact that he previously refused to take part in this, ”concluded Domrin.