US Senate to Begin Trump Impeachment Trial Next Week... Will Bolton Deliver 'Bombshell Testimony'?

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Kim Bong-su] The U.S. House of Representatives is reportedly planning to send the impeachment articles against President Donald Trump, which have been held for three weeks, to the Senate next week.

According to the Washington Post and others on the 10th (local time), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated in a letter to fellow lawmakers that "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler is ready to appoint impeachment managers (who act as prosecutors in the Senate trial) and send the articles of impeachment to the Senate." The Democratic Party also confirmed, "The articles of impeachment will be delivered to the Senate next week."

The House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump on charges including abuse of power and obstruction of Congress on the 18th of last month, but has delayed sending the articles to the Senate for over three weeks. This was because the Republican majority in the Senate intended to reject the impeachment by vote alone, skipping additional witness questioning and evidence review during the trial process.

The Democrats, in particular, are demanding the summons of John Bolton, former National Security Council (NSC) advisor and a key figure in Trump’s foreign and security policy, as a witness and the submission of additional evidence documents. Bolton recently expressed willingness to testify in the Senate impeachment trial if summoned. He is known to have been deeply involved, directly and indirectly, in the 'Ukraine scandal' which is the basis for Trump’s impeachment, and is expected to provide testimony unfavorable to President Trump.

Speaker Pelosi also criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on the same day, saying, "Do not ignore the interests of the American people for a fair impeachment trial," and added, "(The Republican refusal to question witnesses and review evidence) is clear proof that Leader McConnell and President Trump are afraid of the constitutional violations that led to Trump’s impeachment."

The White House also stated it is prepared to respond to the start of the impeachment trial next week. According to Bloomberg News, White House senior advisor Kellyanne Conway said, "We are ready to begin President Trump’s impeachment trial." Conway told reporters that White House counsel Pat Cipollone will lead the defense, and Trump’s personal attorney Jay Sekulow will also be involved externally.

President Trump, in an interview with Fox News scheduled to air that night, reportedly criticized, "I think it’s ridiculous. She should have sent them a long time ago," and said, "Pelosi will be recorded as the least successful Speaker in our country’s history," according to Fox News.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.