Former National Security Advisor John Bolton is reportedly considering cooperating with the House Democrats behind the current impeachment inquiry.
Bolton’s attorneys have discussed that possibility with the three House committees charged with investigating the potential impeachment of President Donald Trump, CNN reported Friday, citing an unnamed source close to the matter.
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton joins President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a bilateral meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House April 02, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
If Bolton breaks his silence it could be seen as betrayal of the Trump administration. The president has made it clear that neither he nor any key officials of his administration plan to cooperate with the “constitutionally illegitimate” impeachment process.
The call for Bolton is reportedly coming from the House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs Committees, according to CNN. (RELATED: Trump Names John Bolton New National Security Advisor)
Bolton was reportedly anxious about the investigations being conducted by Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, whom the former NSA chief described as a “hand grenade,” who was “going to blow everybody up.”
Throughout his tenure at the NSA, Bolton was perceived as a foreign policy hawk who was inching the United States towards war with Iran. Trump apparently fired Bolton over the increasing gap between their views on defense and foreign policy. The president explained on Twitter that he demanded Bolton’s resignation because he “disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration.” (RELATED: Tucker Takes Aim At Bureaucratic Tapeworm John Bolton For Fomenting War With Iran)
U.S. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) joins Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to speak about Democratic legislative priorities and impeachment inquiry plans during her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 2, 2019. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Republicans have been increasingly critical of the way the impeachment inquiry is unfolding under the overall leadership of Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff, who is also the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has introduced a resolution condemning the process. Graham said Schiff is conducting the impeachment inquiry behind closed doors in a manner that denies basic legal rights to the president.
“All I’m asking is give Donald Trump the same rights as Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton had when it comes to impeachment. I’m insisting that Donald Trump be given the same rights that any American has at when you’re giving a parking ticket to confront the witnesses against you; it can’t be based on hearsay … ” Graham told Fox News.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi authorized the House intelligence committee to begin the impeachment inquiry process on Sept. 24 but has not sought House approval of that decision with a formal vote.
