Bolton to Testify as Witness in Trump Impeachment Trial...? Shaking the US Republican Party

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] Will John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor, testify as a witness in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump? Initially, the Republican Party, which holds the majority in the U.S. Senate, planned to conclude the impeachment trial quickly. However, the situation has become complicated after the contents of Bolton’s book, which admit President Trump’s wrongdoing, were revealed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 28th (local time), according to sources cited by major U.S. media, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate Majority Leader, stated in a private meeting with senators that "we have not yet reached the quorum to block the Democrats’ demand for witness adoption."

The Democratic Party has expressed the need to summon Bolton as a witness in the impeachment trial. On the other hand, the Republicans have maintained that witness adoption is unnecessary and have advocated for a swift conclusion to the trial. The Democrats, who have been pushing for additional witnesses, have only secured 47 votes so far, falling short of the majority quorum of 51 votes. To overturn the Republican party line and adopt additional witnesses, four Republican senators would need to support witness adoption.

Interpreting McConnell’s remarks literally, there is a possibility that four Republican senators might vote in favor of adopting witnesses. This indicates that the Republican Party, which had been united throughout the impeachment trial process, is beginning to waver.

This change in the situation is due to the revelation of the contents of Bolton’s upcoming book. Among the contents Bolton will soon release is the claim that Ukraine was instructed to withhold military aid unless it launched an investigation into Joe Biden, former Vice President and a potential presidential rival to Trump.

If Bolton is adopted as a witness in the impeachment trial, it is anticipated that the trial could enter a new phase. Bolton is considered to have more information than anyone else regarding President Trump’s Ukraine scandal.

However, since the White House and the Republican Senate leadership plan to engage in vote management until the witness adoption vote, it is still difficult to predict how many defections will actually occur.

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