Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said he is “absolutely” open to having witnesses testify during the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump.
Scott, 67, told reporters on Wednesday, “I think it’s very important to have a fair trial. I think that’s what Mitch McConnell has committed. If you look at last night, what we said was we’re going to go through this process just like we did with Clinton.”
“Are you open to any witnesses?” CNN’s Dana Bash asked.
Scott responded, “Oh, absolutely. I mean, this is the process. This is what we all agreed to.”
“For real, open to witnesses?” a surprised Bash asked.
“Yeah. I would love to hear what happened with Hunter Biden,” the senator responded.
When asked if he would support bringing in former national security adviser John Bolton, who is a top requested witness by Democrats, for testimony, Scott said, “I’m open to witnesses, but I think we ought to go through the right process.”
“I’m open to witnesses, but I think we ought to go through the right process,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott says when @DanaBashCNN asks him if he’d like to see John Bolton as a witness in the impeachment trial. https://t.co/re052XbVva pic.twitter.com/xzpsCeelIG
— CNN Newsroom (@CNNnewsroom) January 22, 2020
The senator joins a small group of other Republicans who have been suspected to be open to witnesses, including Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee. Most GOP leaders, however, have pushed for a speedy trial with no witnesses.
The House of Representatives passed two articles impeachment against President Trump nearly on party lines last year, with no Republicans voting in favor. Democrats need to obtain four Republican votes in the Senate in order to pass a proposal that would allow for witnesses.
