Rep. Adam Schiff said House Democrats might subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton to testify over President Trump’s diplomatic relationship with Ukraine.
The California Democrat appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday and spoke about House Democrats’ impeachment strategy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to send two impeachment articles passed by the House over to the Senate, but she has said she intends to transmit them within a week.
Schiff said that the House Intelligence Committee, which he is chairman of and which led the chamber’s impeachment investigation into Trump, is “considering” subpoenaing Bolton for testimony. Schiff appeared reluctant to take that step, however, asserting that the Senate should instead subpoena Bolton as a witness in the impeachment trial.
“There is little sense in bringing Bolton into the House and not allowing the senators to see his testimony,” Schiff said. “If they’re going to be the triers of fact, and they will be, they should hear from the witness directly.
“He has offered to come forward and testify. There is no reason not to have him testify unless you just want to cover-up the president’s wrongdoing,” Schiff continued.
House Democrats refused to subpoena Bolton last year during the impeachment investigation into whether Trump had attempted to leverage military aid to Ukraine to secure investigations into former Vice President Joe Biden. The White House intended to claim executive privilege over Bolton’s testimony, and Bolton said he would let a court decide whether he must testify to Congress or abide by the White House order.
House Democrats backed off any attempt to make Bolton testify and did not fully litigate the issue of whether subpoenaed witnesses that are claimed under executive privilege may still testify.
Bolton announced on Jan. 6 that he would testify in the Senate trial over impeachment if subpoenaed.
